An Unbreakable Bond Succeeds
by Chickie.Babe1
Summary: 7th in the Series - Harry, Alicia, Hermione and Ron set out to finish Dumbledore's last mission. With strange gifts, a tent and horcruxes to be found things are tense and dangerous. Their friendship is tested and Alicia has to deal with knowledge she can't tell anyone else, not that they'd believe her anyway. But this adventure could just end up being the end of everyone she loves.
1. Chapter 1

**Merry Christmas!**

 **She shoots, she scores. Seven days and the next one's up. Next and last.**

 **I finished this on Friday, it just took me two and a half days to proofread (Cause of other commitments such as work), and then I wrote the nineteen years later bit after all that.**

 **Now, we all know you're all interested in Fred's outcome so, a heads up, it happens in chapter 50.**

 **I hope you all love the book. I don't know when I'll post anything new or continued for my others, or the new Harry Potter I started, cause I couldn't help it, but keep an eye out!**

 **Enjoy! And thanks for loving, reading, reviewing and following my books! (Or my take on the books).**

 **Love you all!**

* * *

Chapter 1:

Alicia sat in her room, at her desk, her hand raised to the window. The room was empty of belongings and only held furniture as well as a bag on the bed. Alicia was staring a flask in her hand, in which there was a reasonable amount of liquid within it. She stared at it as the light from outside shone through it.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Alex and Portia were standing at the doorway behind her.

"Yes." Alicia said

"Aren't you going to be late?"

"Not yet." she responded, having not turned to them. She sat up properly, lowering her hand and moved from the empty desk which held only a currently empty cage.

"What's that?"

"Protection potion." Alicia said "You're all in danger for when I leave." she moved past them both and down the stairs.

"Why would he come here?"

"He'll think he can get information from you."

"But you've told us nothing."

"Doesn't mean he wont kill you." Alicia confessed as they went to the kitchen. "Stay here." the two girls shared a look as Alicia slipped into the room. She moved over to the food that was brewing and was glad to currently find the kitchen empty. She took the phial, which was larger than the usual and uncorked it as she moved over to the food.

Alicia eyed it again, staring at the liquid.

"I'm sorry." she whispered and she poured it over the lunch that was set to be served. Alicia frowned as she watched the phial empty before she moved back from the kitchen. She ignored the two girls who asked what she'd done and moved up the stairs to collect her bag and empty Owl cage. Alicia then moved to the Caretaker's office. She knocked and was given permission to enter.

"Ah, Alicia, you off then?"

"Yes." Ms Bane got to her feet and walked over to the women.

"You be careful." she said. Alicia nodded.

"Thank you Ms Bane, for looking after me all these years." she said and Ms Bane took a breath as though to steady herself. She nodded curtly.

"Well, you're more than welcome. I expect to see you again at some point, tell me how you're going."

Alicia rolled her lips before she nodded.

That would never happen.

The women held out her hand and Alicia took it, shaking it. It was as affectionate as the women would ever get and Alicia knew that better than anyone.

The girl left the caretaker's office with a breath, and back out to where Alex and Portia were. The minute they saw her they rushed for her. Alicia was tackled into a hug.

"Be careful!" Portia said

"Write to us if you can!" Alex ordered and both girls were crying. Alicia brushed the back of their heads in comfort.

It was a few minutes before the girls released her, their cheeks wet and their eyes slightly red.

"We'll see you again." Portia believed

"When it's all over." Alex agreed, nodding "Come and find us, we'll make sure Ms Bane knows where we are so you can." Alicia watched them all and her eyes pricked as she wanted to cry, but she held it all back and nodded, smiling slightly.

"I will. I don't know how long it'll be, but always expect me to turn up out of no where." and the two girls laughed as that was exactly what would happen. They shared another hug before Alicia picked up the cage, her bag being over her shoulder still, just the size of a purse and easy to carry. The girls looked at her as she held the door and waved, Alicia waving back.

There was a bell that signalled lunchtime and the two girls turned as Alicia opened the door. She closed it behind her and her tears poured over her face before she moved to walk down the front path and then down the road.

She paused to look at the building she'd grown up in, once torturous and full of bullies to become a place she treasured. And it would have never been that way without Portia and Alex. She owed them so much, and leaving, with the prospect that she could never see them again, broke her to pieces.

She had to turn and move away from the building before she went back and stopped everyone from eating the lunch.

She continued until she got to Privet Drive and moved for number four. Outside there was a car, Uncle Vernon's usually pristine car as he liked to keep it, though it was filled and packed. Uncle Vernon was outside with it and he was begrudgingly filling it. He ignored Alicia as she walked past him and into the house, closing the door behind her and moving upstairs. She went straight for a bedroom, swung the door open and closed it behind her before she leaned on it, her tears pouring down her face.

Harry had turned as the door opened and looked at his sister surprised as she slid down the door and slumped on the floor, her head on her knees.

"Alicia, what's wrong?" he asked moving over to her.

"I—" she took a breath "I did it." she said "I made them forget."

"Forget? Who?"

"Everyone. Ms Bane, Portia, Alex," Alicia said

"You used magic!" Harry said surprised. Alicia shook her head and she took a few breaths, composing herself and wiping her cheeks.

"Before we left Hogwarts, I went to see Professor Slughorn." she admitted "And I asked a favour of him. I couldn't use magic but I couldn't leave everyone at the orphanage in danger of Death Eaters and Voldemort, if they came looking for us and attacking them…" she explained "I knew last year what I'd have to do, but doubted I'd be able to." She took a breath. "I got Slughorn to make a rather tricky version of a Forgetfulness potion." she explained "It was created to erase any memory of me from anyone who drank it and I put it in the food made for lunch so everyone in the orphanage would get it." she said sadly.

"I told Alex and Portia it was a protection charm and as I was leaving they were telling me how I had to come and find them after everything was over and Ms Bane said I'd had to visit eventually… but I can never see them again, even if everything is solved and the war ends, they'll never know who I am." she whispered and Harry pulled her into a hug.

Harry's room was rather clean, there was a pile of things in one corner that consisted of Harry's school and Quidditch robes, cauldron, parchment, quills, and most of his textbooks. Also in the room was an old rucksack, packed with things by the looks of it and there were a sizeable stack of newspapers on his desk beside his Snowy Owl, Hedwig.

"I'm sorry Alicia." Harry whispered

"It's best for them." she said nodding "But the idea that I'll never get to know— I had to make sure that potion was strong enough that it couldn't be easily broken, like a memory charm. If there was a simple antidote, it'd be useless. They'll never remember me." she looked at her brother and he ran a hand over the top of her head. She leaned it back against the door and took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down. She closed her eyes momentarily before looking around. One paper sat aside from all the others on the desk and it seemed as though Harry had been reading it when she came in.

"What you reading?"

"The article written by Elphias Doge." Harry answered and Alicia nodded. She'd read it. It had appeared in the paper shortly after they'd arrived in Surrey, a story about Albus Dumbledore written by the hand of a friend of his, who met him on their first train ride ever to Hogwarts. It brought many things to light.

For one thing, Albus Dumbledore's father had been sentenced to Azkaban for the rest of his life after killing three young muggles. Alicia had never been more shocked by some news, though not all families were perfect. Despite this, Dumbledore never became a muggle-hater like his father, and from the man Alicia had known, she wondered if that had solidified Dumbledore's care for muggles more so.

Alicia had been aware of Aberforth, Dumbledore's bother, for Mad-Eye Moody, the ex-Auror had pointed him out when he'd given the twins a picture of the original Order of the Phoenix two years ago. From the article however it seemed Aberforth had little of his brother's brains and was more an action person than his brother, who preferred talking and books. Despite this is seemed the boys got along somewhat.

Alicia had been most interested in the article for she had never had much chance to ask Dumbledore about his life before he became a teacher at Hogwarts, or much about his family, or schooling life. It had upset her quite a bit, to believe that she'd never put much thought on it.

It seemed misfortune followed Dumbledore. His mother had passed away after he finished school and it turned out Dumbledore had also had a sister once, though she'd also passed somehow. Apparently she'd been in poor health. Alicia had never known such a thing.

Of course if Alicia had found all of this out sooner she'd have gone to a library to discover more, such as details about the Wizarding Duel Dumbledore had had with a wizard named Grindelwald in 1945. It was such a part of history that all knew about it, but Alicia wondered how Dumbledore knew he could take on the man, did he have that much confidence in himself?

Alicia watched as Harry got to his feet and moved to the newspaper. He ripped out the article by Elphias Doge and put it with his rucksack before throwing away the rest of the newspaper. Alicia got up and moved to the window, opening it. She wondered if Noel would come back before they left or if she was already at The Burrow. Harry however grabbed another newspaper, a shard of mirror on top of it.

"Alicia." she turned to him as he picked it up and she turned to look at the article he was reading.

It was an article about Rita Skeeter who had written a Biography about Dumbledore.

DUMBLEDORE — THE TRUTH AT LAST?

 _Coming next week, the shocking story of the flawed genius considered by many to be the greatest wizard of his generation. Stripping away the popular image of serene, silver-bearded wisdom, Rita Skeeter reveals the disturbed childhood, the lawless youth, the lifelong feuds, and the guilty secrets that Dumbledore carried to his grave. WHY was the man tipped to be Minister of Magic content to remain a mere headmaster? WHAT was the real purpose of the secret organisation known as the Order of the Phoenix? HOW did Dumbledore really meet his end?_

 _The answers to these and many more questions are explored in the explosive new biography,_ The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore _, by Rita Skeeter,_ _exclusively interviewed by Betty Braithwaite, page 13, inside._

Alicia moved back as Harry ripped the paper open and went to page thirteen, his fist barely missing her nose. The article was topped with a picture showing another familiar face: a woman wearing jewelled glasses with elaborately curled blonde hair, her teeth bared in what was clearly supposed to be a winning smile, wiggling her fingers up at him.

Alicia ignored this and she and Harry bent over the next part of the article.

 _In person, Rita Skeeter is much warmer and softer than her famously ferocious quill-portraits might suggest. Greeting me in the hallway of her cozy home, she leads me straight into the kitchen for a cup of tea, a slice of pound cake and, it goes without saying, a steaming vat of freshest gossip._

" _Well, of course, Dumbledore is a biographer_ _'_ _s dream,_ _"_ _says Skeeter._ _"_ _Such a long, full life. I_ _'_ _m sure my book will be the first of very, very many._ _"_

 _Skeeter was certainly quick off the mark. Her nine-hundred-page book was completed a mere four weeks after Dumbledore_ _'_ _s mysterious death in June. I ask her how she managed this superfast feat._

" _Oh, when you_ _'_ _ve been a journalist as long as I have, working to a deadline is second nature. I knew that the Wizarding world was clamouring for the full story and I wanted to be the first to meet that need._ _"_

 _I mention the recent, widely publicised remarks of Elphias Doge, Special Advisor to the Wizengamot and longstanding friend of Albus Dumbledore_ _'_ _s, that_ _"Skeeter'_ _s book contains less fact than a Chocolate Frog card._ _"_

 _Skeeter throws back her head and laughs._

" _Darling Dodgy! I remember interviewing him a few years back about merpeople rights, bless him. Completely gaga, seemed to think we were sitting at the bottom of Lake Windermere, kept telling me to watch out for trout._ _"_

 _And yet Elphias Doge_ _'_ _s accusations of inaccuracy have been echoed in many places. Does Skeeter really feel that four short weeks have been enough to gain a full picture of Dumbledore_ _'_ _s long and extraordinary life?_

" _Oh, my dear,_ _"_ _beams Skeeter, rapping me affectionately across the knuckles,_ _"_ _you know as well as I do how much information can be generated by a fat bag of Galleons, a refusal to hear the word_ _'_ _no,_ _'_ _and a nice sharp Quick-Quotes Quill! People were queuing to dish the dirt on Dumbledore anyway. Not everyone thought he was so wonderful, you know — he trod on an awful lot of important toes. But old Dodgy Doge can get off his high hippogriff, because I_ _'_ _ve had access to a source most journalists would swap their wands for, one who has never spoken in public before and who was close to Dumbledore during the most turbulent and disturbing phase of his youth._ _"_

 _The advance publicity for Skeeter_ _'_ _s biography has certainly suggested that there will be shocks in store for those who believe Dumbledore to have led a blameless life. What were the biggest surprises she uncovered, I ask?_

" _Now, come off it, Betty, I_ _'_ _m not giving away all the highlights before anybody_ _'_ _s bought the book!_ _"_ _laughs Skeeter._ _"_ _But I can promise that anybody who still thinks Dumbledore was white as his beard is in for a rude awakening! Let_ _'_ _s just say that nobody hearing him rage against You-Know-Who would have dreamed that he dabbled in the Dark Arts himself in his youth! And for a wizard who spent his later years pleading for tolerance, he wasn_ _'_ _t exactly broad-minded when he was younger! Yes, Albus Dumbledore had an extremely murky past, not to mention that very fishy family, which he worked so hard to keep hushed up._ _"_

 _I ask whether Skeeter is referring to Dumbledore_ _'_ _s brother, Aberforth, whose conviction by the Wizengamot for misuse of magic caused a minor scandal fifteen years ago._

" _Oh, Aberforth is just the tip of the dung heap,_ _"_ _laughs Skeeter._ _"No, no, I'_ _m talking about much worse than a brother with a fondness for fiddling about with goats, worse even than the Muggle- maiming father — Dumbledore couldn_ _'_ _t keep either of them quiet anyway, they were both charged by the Wizengamot. No, it_ _'_ _s the mother and the sister that intrigued me, and a little digging uncovered a positive nest of nastiness — but, as I say, you_ _'_ _ll have to wait for chapters nine to twelve for full details. All I can say now is, it_ _'_ _s no wonder Dumbledore never talked about how his nose got broken._ _"_

 _Family skeletons notwithstanding, does Skeeter deny the brilliance that led to Dumbledore_ _'_ _s many magical discoveries?_

" _He had brains,_ _"_ _she concedes,_ _"_ _although many now question whether he could really take full credit for all of his supposed achievements. As I reveal in chapter sixteen, Ivor Dillonsby claims he had already discovered eight uses of dragon_ _'_ _s blood when Dumbledore_ _'_ _borrowed_ _'_ _his papers._ _"_

 _But the importance of some of Dumbledore_ _'_ _s achievements cannot, I venture, be denied. What of his famous defeat of Grindelwald?_

" _Oh, now, I_ _'_ _m glad you mentioned Grindelwald,_ _"_ _says Skeeter with a tantalis_ _ing smile. "I'_ _m afraid those who go dewy-eyed over Dumbledore_ _'_ _s spectacular victory must brace themselves for a bombshell — or perhaps a Dungbomb. Very dirty business indeed. All I_ _'_ _ll say is, don_ _'_ _t be so sure that there really was the spectacular duel of legend. After they_ _'_ _ve read my book, people may be forced to conclude that Grindelwald simply conjured a white handkerchief from the end of his wand and came quietly!_ _"_

 _Skeeter refuses to give any more away on this intriguing subject, so we turn instead to the relationship that will undoubtedly fascinate her readers more than any other._

" _Oh yes,_ _"_ _says Skeeter, nodding briskly,_ _"_ _I devote an entire chapter to the whole Potter-Dumbledore relationship. It_ _'_ _s been called unhealthy, even sinister. Again, your readers will have to buy my book for the whole story, but there is no question that Dumbledore took an unnatural interest in the_ _Potter_ _children from the word go. Whether that was really in the children's best interests — well, we_ _'_ _ll see. It_ _'_ _s certainly an open secret that the_ _Potter_ _s_ _ha_ _ve had a most troubled adolescence._ _"_

 _I ask whether Skeeter is still in touch with Harry or Alicia Potter, whom she so famously interviewed last year: a breakthrough piece in which Potter spoke exclusively of his conviction that You-Know-Who had returned._

" _Oh, yes, we_ _'_ _ve developed a close bond,_ _"_ _says Skeeter._ _"_ _Poor_ _Harry Potter has few real friends, and we met at one of the most testing moments of his life — the Triwizard Tournament. I am probably one of the only people alive who can say that they know the real Harry Potter._ _"_

 _Which leads us neatly to the many rumours still circulating about Dumbledore_ _'_ _s final hours. Does Skeeter believe that the_ _Potter_ _s were there when Dumbledore died?_

" _Well, I don_ _'_ _t want to say too much —_ _it'_ _s all in the book — but eyewitnesses inside Hogwarts castle saw Harry Potter running away from the scene moments after Dumbledore fell, jumped, or was pushed and Alicia Potter was first by his side_ _._ _Harry Potter later gave evidence against Severus Snape, a man against whom he has a notorious grudge. Is everything as it seems? That is for the Wizarding community to decide — once they_ _'_ _ve read my book._ _"_

 _On that intriguing note, I take my leave. There can be no doubt that Skeeter has quilled an instant bestseller. Dumbledore_ _'_ _s legions of admirers, meanwhile, may well be trembling at what is soon to emerge about their hero._

"She knows you best!" Alicia demanded angrily "She knows nothing about you!" She got to her feet and kicked the deck angrily, causing Hedwig to hoot angrily as she finished the article.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Harry seemed to agree with her anger for he balled up the newspaper and threw it, with all his force, at the wall, where it joined the rest of the rubbish heaped around his overflowing bin.

Lost in his anger Harry began to stride blindly around the room, opening empty drawers and picking up books only to replace them on the same piles. His mind wasn't in it, it was stuck on Rita's words.

Alicia wanted that book regardless of Skeeter downgrading the best wizard ever. What ever it was about Dumbledore's past that she found out, it did not change the man she had grown to know. She would not let Rita's words tarnish her memory. Everything Dumbledore went through helped him to become the man he was and that was something no one could ever deny.

"Lies!" Harry bellowed out of no where, and like a neighbour outside, pausing to restart his lawnmower, Alicia turned to Harry. He sat down hard on his bed, the broken bit of mirror dancing away from him; he picked it up and turned it over in his fingers.

"Harry, it doesn't matter what Rita says, Dumbledore was still Dumbledore. So what if he wasn't always perfect." Harry looked at her before his gaze was caught by the mirror.

Alicia stalled over to the window and looked out it, curiously. After all, they'd never see this street again. Harry and Alicia didn't need to come back to Little Whinging after today and both doubted they'd ever return willingly. Alicia almost felt sad to do so. It was probably one of the little reminders left of her parents, besides Remus Lupin. Petunia, now matter how nasty, had been her mother's sister after all.

Alicia frowned. To think, those who could tell them the best stories were slowly dissipating.

Alicia turned to glance at Harry, who was staring at the mirror, his finger suddenly bleeding.

 _Eventually… I could be the only Potter left._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

The sound of the front door slamming echoed up the stairs and a voice yelled, "Oi! You!"

Alicia rolled her eyes, Vernon almost never said Harry's name. Harry however made no movement to go anywhere, still absentmindedly staring at the mirror piece. It was not until his uncle bellowed, "BOY!" that Alicia kicked his shoe lightly and moved to the door, Harry getting slowly to his feet and following her, pausing to add the piece of broken mirror to the rucksack.

"You bellowed." Alicia said annoyed at the top of the stairs.

"You took your time!" roared Vernon Dursley when Harry appeared at her shoulder. "Get down here, I want a word!"

Harry strolled downstairs, his hands deep in his jeans pockets, Alicia following with a look of boredom on her face. When they reached the living room they found all three Dursleys.

They were dressed for traveling: Uncle Vernon in a fawn zip-up jacket, Aunt Petunia in a neat salmon-coloured coat, and Dudley in his leather jacket.

"Yes?" asked Harry.

"Sit down!" said Uncle Vernon. Harry raised his eyebrows. "Please!" added Uncle Vernon, wincing slightly as though the word was sharp in his throat.

Alicia had an impressed look as Harry sat. Vernon began to pace up and down, Petunia and Dudley following his movements with anxious expressions. Finally, his large purple face crumpled with concentration, Uncle Vernon stopped in front of Harry and spoke.

"I've changed my mind," he said.

"What a surprise," said Harry.

"Don't you take that tone —" began Aunt Petunia in a shrill voice, but Vernon Dursley waved her down.

"It's all a lot of claptrap," said Uncle Vernon, glaring at Harry with piggy little eyes. "I've decided I don't believe a word of it. We're staying put, we're not going anywhere."

It had been arrange by the Order of the Phoenix members that the Dursleys were to be removed from Little Whinging, and Surrey all together, for their own protection after the spell on the house, solidified by Petunia being Lily Potter's sister, broke. It had been discussed a few days after the twins return to Surrey when Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur Weasley had come to the Dursley's front doorstep. The shock the Dursley's had was no surprise, especially as Mr Weasley had destroyed their living room once. The arrangement was for the Dursley's to leave this afternoon, but Vernon Dursley had been changing his mind every twenty-four hours for the past four weeks, packing and unpacking and repacking the car with every change of heart.

"According to you," Vernon Dursley said now, resuming his pacing up and down the living room, "we — Petunia, Dudley, and I — are in danger. From — from —"

"Some of 'our lot,' right," said Harry indicating to Alicia.

"Well, I don't believe it," repeated Uncle Vernon, coming to a halt in front of Harry again. "I was awake half the night thinking it all over, and I believe it's a plot to get the house."

"The house?" repeated Harry. "What house?"

" _This_ house!" shrieked Uncle Vernon, the vein in his forehead starting to pulse. " _Our_ house! House prices are skyrocketing around here! You want us out of the way and then you're going to do a bit of hocus-pocus and before we know it the deeds will be in your name and —"

"Are you out of your mind?" demanded Harry. "A plot to get this house? Are you actually as stupid as you look?"

"Don't you dare — !" squealed Aunt Petunia, but again, Vernon waved her down: Slights on his personal appearance were, it seemed, as nothing to the danger he had spotted.

"We don't need your house, don't want your stupid house, and what on earth do we care about property markets when we can go hocus-pocus?" Alicia said annoyed.

"And Just in case you've forgotten," said Harry, "I've already got a house, my godfather left me and Alicia one. So why would I want this one? All the happy memories?"

There was silence as Vernon had to come up with an argument to reply with.

"You claim," said Uncle Vernon, starting to pace yet again, "that this Lord Thing —"

"— Voldemort," said Harry impatiently, "and we've been through this about a hundred times already. This isn't a claim, it's fact, Dumbledore told you last year, and Kingsley and Mr. Weasley —"

Vernon Dursley hunched his shoulders angrily.

"— Kingsley and Mr. Weasley explained it all as well," Harry pressed on remorselessly. "Once I'm seventeen, the protective charm that keeps me safe will break, and that exposes you as well as me. The Order is sure Voldemort will target you, whether to torture you to try and find out where I am, or because he thinks by holding you hostage I'd come and try to rescue you."

Alicia believed that even despite their treatment, she at least would go to do so.

"I mean you can stay here and die if you'd like." Alicia said straight up. The three Dursley's stared at her.

Then Uncle Vernon walked on after a moment and Harry resumed, "You've got to go into hiding and the Order wants to help. You're being offered serious protection, the best there is."

Uncle Vernon said nothing, but continued to pace up and down. Outside the sun hung low over the privet hedges. The next-door neighbour's lawn mower stalled again.

"I thought there was a Ministry of Magic?" asked Vernon Dursley abruptly.

"There is," said Harry, surprised.

"Well, then, why can't they protect us? It seems to me that, as innocent victims, guilty of nothing more than harbouring a marked man, we ought to qualify for government protection!"

Harry laughed. Alicia just stared, it was so very typical of his uncle to put his hopes in the establishment, even within this world that he despised and mistrusted.

"You heard what Mr. Weasley and Kingsley said," Harry replied. "We think the Ministry has been infiltrated."

"You go with them for protection and you're handing yourself over to be killed." Alicia said.

Uncle Vernon strode to the fireplace and back, breathing so heavily that his great black moustache rippled, his face still purple with concentration.

"All right," he said, stopping in front of Harry yet again. "All right, let's say, for the sake of argument, we accept this protection. I still don't see why we can't have that Kingsley bloke."

"As I've told you," he said through gritted teeth, "Kingsley is protecting the Mug — I mean, your Prime Minister."

"Exactly — he's the best!" said Uncle Vernon, pointing at the blank television screen. The Dursleys had spotted Kingsley on the news, walking along discreetly behind the Muggle Prime Minister as he visited a hospital. This, and the fact that Kingsley had mastered the knack of dressing like a Muggle, not to mention a certain reassuring something in his slow, deep voice, had caused the Dursleys to take to Kingsley in a way that they had certainly not done with any other wizard, although it was true that they had never seen him with his earring in.

"Well, he's taken," said Harry. "But Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle are more than up to the job —"

"If we'd even seen CVs…" began Uncle Vernon, but Harry lost patience. Getting to his feet, he advanced on his uncle, now pointing at the TV set himself.

Alicia crossed her arms and waited.

"These accidents aren't accidents — the crashes and explosions and derailments and whatever else has happened since we last watched the news. People are disappearing and dying and he's behind it — Voldemort. I've told you this over and over again, he kills Muggles for fun. Even the fogs — they're caused by dementors, and if you can't remember what they are, ask your son!"

Dudley's hands jerked upward to cover his mouth. With his parents' and Harry's eyes upon him, he slowly lowered them again and asked, "There are… more of them?"

"More?" laughed Harry. "More than the two that attacked us, you mean? Of course there are, there are hundreds, maybe thousands by this time, seeing as they feed off fear and despair —"

"You'll probably find within all this chao they might even be breeding." Harry turned to Alicia

"They breed?"

"They're still creatures, no matter how horrifying." she said obviously.

"All right, all right," blustered Vernon Dursley. "You've made your point —"

"I hope so," said Harry, "because once I'm seventeen, all of them — Death Eaters, dementors, maybe even Inferi — which means dead bodies enchanted by a Dark wizard — will be able to find you and will certainly attack you. And if you remember the last time you tried to outrun wizards, I think you'll agree you need help."

Aunt Petunia was looking at Uncle Vernon; Dudley was staring at Harry. Finally Uncle Vernon blurted out, "But what about my work? What about Dudley's school? I don't suppose those things matter to a bunch of layabout wizards —"

"Don't you understand?" shouted Harry. " _They will torture and kill you like they did my parents!_ "

"Dad," said Dudley in a loud voice, "Dad — I'm going with these Order people."

"Dudley," said Harry, "for the first time in your life, you're talking sense."

"I'm glad someone gets the severity of the situation." Alicia nodded, smiling at her cousin.

And the battle was won. If Dudley was frightened enough to accept the Order's help, his parents would accompany him: There could be no question of being separated from their Diddykins. Harry glanced at the carriage clock on the mantelpiece.

"They'll be here in about five minutes," he said, and when none of the Dursleys replied, he left the room.

"I suggest you make sure you've got everything." Alicia said before following Harry. They came back to the bedroom were there was a new addition to the room. Noel was about Hedwig's cage and chattering down to her, the owl responding.

"Noel." Alicia grinned and the bird flew to her shoulder.

"You shouldn't be letting her out."

"Well, I don't see why not. She's smart enough to know when to come back." Alicia smiled, stroking her owls feathers.

Harry had locked Hedwig up most of the last four week and for that Hedwig was angry with him. Even as he poked a few owl treats into her cage she ignored them.

"We're leaving soon, really soon," Harry told her. "And then you'll be able to fly again."

The doorbell rang and Alicia turned, opening Noel's cage for her to jump into, before she was first down the stairs.

"Alicia Potter!" squeaked an exited voice as she opened the door. "Harry!" a small man in a mauve top hat was sweeping him a deep bow. "An honour, as ever!"

"Thanks, Dedalus," said Harry, bestowing a small and embarrassed smile upon the dark-haired Hestia.

"Good evening." Alicia smiled

"It's really good of you to do this… They're through here, my aunt and uncle and cousin…"

"Good day to you, Harry Potter's relatives!" said Dedalus happily, striding into the living room. The Dursleys did not look at all happy to be addressed thus. Dudley shrank nearer to his mother at the sight of the witch and wizard.

"I see you are packed and ready. Excellent! The plan, as Harry has told you, is a simple one," said Dedalus, pulling an immense pocket watch out of his waistcoat and examining it. "We shall be leaving before Harry and Alicia do. Due to the danger of using magic in your house — Harry and Alicia being still underage, it could provide the Ministry with an excuse to arrest him — we shall be driving, say, ten miles or so, before Disapparating to the safe location we have picked out for you. You know how to drive, I take it?" he asked Uncle Vernon politely.

"Know how to — ? Of course I ruddy well know how to drive!" spluttered Uncle Vernon.

"Very clever of you, sir, very clever, I personally would be utterly bamboozled by all those buttons and knobs," said Dedalus. He was clearly under the impression that he was flattering Vernon Dursley, who was visibly losing confidence in the plan with every word Dedalus spoke.

"Can't even drive," he muttered under his breath, his moustache rippling indignantly, but fortunately neither Dedalus nor Hestia seemed to hear him.

"You, Harry, Alicia," Dedalus continued, "will wait here for your guard. There has been a little change in the arrangements —"

Alicia nodded in understanding, but it seemed, Harry had not been informed.

"What d'you mean?" said Harry at once. "I thought Mad-Eye was going to come and take me by Side-Along-Apparition?"

"Can't do it," said Hestia tersely. "Mad-Eye will explain."

The Dursleys, who had listened to all of this with looks of utter incomprehension on their faces, jumped as a loud voice screeched, " _Hurry up_!" The voice had issued from Dedalus's pocket watch.

"Quite right, we're operating to a very tight schedule," said Dedalus, nodding at his watch and tucking it back into his waistcoat. "We are attempting to time your departure from the house with your family's Disapparition, Harry; thus, the charm breaks at the moment you all head for safety." He turned to the Dursleys. "Well, are we all packed and ready to go?"

None of them answered him. Uncle Vernon was still staring, appalled, at the bulge in Dedalus's waistcoat pocket.

"Perhaps we should wait outside in the hall, Dedalus," murmured Hestia. She clearly felt that it would be tactless for them to remain in the room while Harry and the Dursleys exchanged loving, possibly tearful farewells.

"There's no need," Harry muttered, but Uncle Vernon made any further explanation unnecessary by saying loudly,

"Well, this is good-bye, then, boy."

He swung his right arm upward to shake Harry's hand, but at the last moment seemed unable to face it, and merely closed his fist and began swinging it backward and forward like a metronome.

"Ready, Diddy?" asked Aunt Petunia, fussily checking the clasp of her handbag so as to avoid looking at Harry altogether.

Dudley did not answer, but stood there with his mouth slightly ajar.

"Come along, then," said Uncle Vernon.

He had already reached the living room door when Dudley mumbled, "I don't understand."

"What don't you understand, popkin?" asked Aunt Petunia, looking up at her son.

Dudley raised a large, hamlike hand to point at Harry.

"Why isn't he coming with us?"

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia froze where they stood, staring at Dudley as though he had just expressed a desire to become a ballerina.

"What?" said Uncle Vernon loudly.

"Why isn't he coming too?" asked Dudley.

"Well, he — he doesn't want to," said Uncle Vernon, turning to glare at Harry and adding, "You don't want to, do you?"

"Not in the slightest," said Harry.

"There you are," Uncle Vernon told Dudley. "Now come on, we're off."

He marched out of the room. They heard the front door open, but Dudley did not move and after a few faltering steps Aunt Petunia stopped too.

"What now?" barked Uncle Vernon, reappearing in the doorway.

It seemed that Dudley was struggling with concepts too difficult to put into words. After several moments of apparently painful internal struggle he said, "But where's he going to go?"

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked at each other. It was clear that Dudley was frightening them. Hestia Jones broke the silence.

"But… surely you know where your nephew is going?" she asked, looking bewildered.

"Certainly we know," said Vernon Dursley. "He's off with some of your lot, isn't he? Right, Dudley, let's get in the car, you heard the man, we're in a hurry."

Again, Vernon Dursley marched as far as the front door, but Dudley did not follow.

"Off with some of _our_ lot?"

Hestia looked outraged. This attitude had been met before.

"It's fine," Harry assured her. "It doesn't matter, honestly."

"Doesn't matter?" repeated Hestia, her voice rising ominously. "Don't these people realise what you've been through? What danger you are in? The unique position you hold in the hearts of the anti-Voldemort movement?"

"This household has a complicated relationship." Alicia confessed.

"Er — no, they don't," said Harry. "They think I'm a waste of space, actually, but I'm used to —"

"I don't think you're a waste of space."

The two twins stared at Dudley in surprise.

"Wow." Alicia whispered.

Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself.

"Well…er… thanks, Dudley."

Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unwieldy for expression before mumbling, "You saved my life."

"Not really," said Harry. "It was your soul the dementor would have taken…"

"Wouldn't be much of a life without a soul though." Alicia said.

Dudley didn't seem to have much to say, it seemed he'd exhausted his ability to express his feelings. After opening his mouth once or twice more, Dudley subsided into scarlet- faced silence.

Aunt Petunia burst into tears. Hestia Jones gave her an approving look that changed to outrage as Aunt Petunia ran forward and embraced Dudley rather than Harry.

"S-so sweet, Dudders…" she sobbed into his massive chest. "S-such a lovely b-boy… s-saying thank you…"

"But he hasn't said thank you at all!" said Hestia indignantly. "He only said he didn't think Harry was a waste of space!"

"Yeah, but coming from Dudley that's like 'I love you,'" said Harry

"He might as well have thanked him." Alicia nodded as Aunt Petunia continued to clutch at Dudley as if he had just saved Harry from a burning building.

"Are we going or not?" roared Uncle Vernon, reappearing yet again at the living room door. "I thought we were on a tight schedule!"

"Yes — yes, we are," said Dedalus Diggle, who had been watching these exchanges with an air of bemusement and now seemed to pull himself together. "We really must be off. Harry, Alicia —"

He tripped forward and wrung Harry's hand with both of his own before doing the same with Alicia.

"— good luck. I hope we meet again. The hopes of the Wizarding world rest upon your shoulders."

"Oh," said Harry, "right. Thanks."

"Farewell, Harry," said Hestia, also clasping his hand. "Our thoughts go with you."

"I hope everything's okay," said Harry with a glance toward Aunt Petunia and Dudley.

"Oh, I'm sure we shall end up the best of chums," said Diggle brightly, waving his hat as he left the room. Hestia followed him.

Dudley gently released himself from his mother's clutches and walked toward Harry. Then Dudley held out his large, pink hand.

"Blimey, Dudley," said Harry over Aunt Petunia's renewed sobs, "did the dementors blow a different personality into you?"

"Dunno," muttered Dudley. He looked at Alicia. "You know you two look alike."

"Well I am his twin sister." Alicia smiled and Dudley stared at her before he turned back to Harry.

"See you, Harry."

"Yeah…" said Harry, taking Dudley's hand and shaking it. "Maybe. Take care, Big D."

Dudley nearly smiled, then lumbered from the room. Harry heard his heavy footfalls on the gravelled drive, and then a car door slammed.

Aunt Petunia, whose face had been buried in her handkerchief, looked around at the sound. She did not seem to have expected to find herself alone with the twins. Hastily stowing her wet handkerchief into her pocket, she said, "Well — good-bye," and marched toward the door without looking at them.

"Good-bye," said Harry.

She stopped and looked back. It seemed as though she had something to say and her eyes rested on Alicia, who so resembled Petunia's deceased sister. She seemed to think better of it though, for with a little jerk of her head, she bustled out of the room after her husband and son.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The house suddenly seemed weird to Alicia. She'd been put through weird things in this house, like in her third year Harry had forced her through a week of dealing with Uncle Vernon's sister, who was just as terrible as her brother and seemed to hate Harry more. She remembered first coming here, all the way back in her first year and when Harry had vanished, the Dursley's trying to outrun wizards when his first letter to Hogwarts came, only to find it empty. She remembered the bars on Harry's window in their second year and how she commissioned Ron and the Weasley twins to break him out.

When she thought about it, there were some memories she had of this house that would be funny stories to tell later on.

Harry wasn't in the living room anymore, but had turned and run up the stairs. A few moments later he came back with his rucksack, Alicia's bag, both owl cages and their occupants along with his firebolt.

"Thanks." Alicia said as she took her small bag and the cage.

"Is that all you're taking?" Harry said looking at her "Where's you broom?" Alicia rose the bag.

"Undetectable extension charm. I did it before we left last year, believing it'd be better than taking a trunk on our long journey." she said "Honestly I've been over prepared for weeks." she mumbled "Everything I need and most of what I own's in here. You got anything you want to add?"

Harry responded by putting his firebolt in it, as it would be much easier to carry.

"Why do you think the plans have changed?" he asked her

"The Ministry is infiltrated, but they've done something." Alicia said and she shrugged casually before Harry moved to put the cage and his bag at the front door, taking Noel as well.

Alicia truthfully knew of the new plan, thanks to her two way mirrors with Fred she was able to receive information that couldn't be detected. The Ministry had put things in place that movement from this house was going to be made very difficult. They were going to have to move out in the open. This was very vulnerable for Harry and so Moody had created a plan in which Harry was going to hate.

She'd decided without needing to be told that she wouldn't tell Harry, but let Mad Eye do it, that way he didn't have time to find a good argument to try and stop them.

"Don't you want to take a last look at the place?" Harry's voice came from the hall as Alicia still stood in the living room and she moved to see he was talking to Hedwig, who was still sulking with her head under her wing. "We'll never be here again. Don't you want to remember all the good times? I mean, look at this doormat. What memories… Dudley puked on it after I saved him from the dementors… Turns out he was grateful after all, can you believe it?… And last summer, Dumbledore walked through that front door…"

He stopped before turning his back on the front door while Alicia watched him, smiling gently.

"And under here, Hedwig" — Harry pulled open a door under the stairs — "is where I used to sleep! You never knew me then — Blimey, it's small, I'd forgotten…"

"I don't know how you survived with such space." Alicia said as she peered in over his shoulder. There were a stack of shoes and umbrellas in the cupboard. She chuckled before straightening up as there was a a sudden, deafening roar from somewhere nearby. Harry straightened up with a jerk and smacked the top of his head on the low door frame. Alicia gapped at him before she started snickering and the two moved to find out what the noise was, Harry employing a few of Uncle Vernon's choicest swear words as they did. They moved into the kitchen and stared out the window into the back garden.

The darkness seemed to be rippling, the air itself quivering. Then, one by one, figures began to pop into sight as their Disillusionment Charms lifted. Dominating the scene was Hagrid, wearing a helmet and goggles and sitting astride an enormous motorbike with a black sidecar attached. All around him other people were dismounting from brooms and, in two cases, a skeletal, black winged horse.

Alicia beamed and Harry wrenched open the back door before hurtling into their midst.

There was a general cry of greeting as Hermione flung her arms around him, Ron clapped him on the back, and Hagrid said, "All righ', Harry? Ready fer the off?"

"Definitely," said Harry, beaming around at them all. Alicia had flung herself straight into Fred Weasley's arms who's caught her and held her up as she kissed him, ignoring those around, a few of which who chuckled at them.

"Miss me?" Fred asked grinning

"Not as much as I missed George!" and she released Fred to be enveloped by his twin, who stood beside them. Fred just snatched her up and threw her over his shoulder to march her inside as she giggled.

"But I wasn't expecting this many of you!" Harry admitted

"Change of plan," growled Mad-Eye, who was holding two enormous, bulging sacks, and whose magical eye was spinning from darkening sky to house to garden with dizzying rapidity. "Let's get undercover before we talk you through it."

Harry led them all back into the kitchen where, laughing and chattering, they settled on chairs, sat themselves upon Aunt Petunia's gleaming work surfaces, or leaned up against her spotless appliances: Ron, long and lanky; Hermione, her bushy hair tied back in a long plait; Fred and George, grinning identically; Bill, badly scarred and long-haired; Mr. Weasley, kind-faced, balding, his spectacles a little awry; Mad-Eye, battle-worn, one-legged, his bright blue magical eye whizzing in its socket; Tonks, whose short hair was her favourite shade of bright pink; Lupin, greyer, more lined; Kingsley, bald, black, broad-shouldered; Hagrid, with his wild hair and beard, standing hunchbacked to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling; and Mundungus Fletcher, small, dirty, and hangdog, with his droopy basset hound's eyes and matted hair.

Alicia was sat down upon the bench and Fred stood before her so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders and lean her chin on his shoulder.

"Kingsley, I thought you were looking after the Muggle Prime Minister?" Harry called across the room.

"He can get along without me for one night," said Kingsley. "You're more important."

"Harry, guess what?" said Tonks from her perch on top of the washing machine, and she wiggled her left hand at him; a ring glittered there.

"Tonks!" Alicia beamed at her and Lupin and Tonks smiled at her. "Congratulations!"

"You got married?" Harry yelped, looking from her to Lupin.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet."

"That's brilliant, congrat —"

"All right, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later!" roared Moody over the hubbub, and silence fell in the kitchen. Moody dropped his sacks at his feet and turned to Harry. "As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He's made it an imprisonable offence to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mother's charm does that already. What he's really done is to stop you getting out of here safely."

Alicia knew that apparently, the orphanage was no different. They weren't taking chances, the Ministry.

"Second problem: You and Alicia are underage, which means you've both still got the Trace on you."

"I don't —"

"The Trace, the Trace!" said Mad-Eye impatiently. "The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens, the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic! If you, or anyone around you, casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it, and so will the Death Eaters.

"We can't wait for the Trace to break, because the moment you turn seventeen you'll lose all the protection your mother gave you. In short: Pius Thicknesse thinks he's got you cornered good and proper."

"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked. Fred glanced at Alicia and she gave a guilty look. Yes she'd kept the plan from him.

"We're going to use the only means of transport left to us, the only ones the Trace can't detect, because we don't need to cast spells to use them: brooms, thestrals, and Hagrid's motorbike.

"Now, your mother's charm will only break under two conditions: when you come of age, or" — Moody gestured around the pristine kitchen — "you no longer call this place home. You and your aunt and uncle are going your separate ways tonight, in the full understanding that you're never going to live together again, correct?"

Harry nodded.

"So this time, when you leave, there'll be no going back, and the charm will break the moment you get outside its range. We're choosing to break it early, because the alternative is waiting for You-Know-Who to come and seize you the moment you turn seventeen.

"The one thing we've got on our side is that You-Know-Who doesn't know we're moving you tonight. We've leaked a fake trail to the Ministry: They think you're not leaving until the thirtieth. However, this is You-Know-Who we're dealing with, so we can't just rely on him getting the date wrong; he's bound to have a couple of Death Eaters patrolling the skies in this general area, just in case. So, we've given a dozen different houses every protection we can throw at them. They all look like they could be the place we're going to hide you, they've all got some connection with the Order: my house, Kingsley's place, Molly's Auntie Muriel's — you get the idea."

"Yeah," said Harry, but Alicia could sense his doubt.

"You'll be going to Tonks's parents. Once you're within the boundaries of the protective enchantments we've put on their house, you'll be able to use a Portkey to the Burrow. Any questions?"

"Er — yes," said Harry. "Maybe they won't know which of the twelve secure houses I'm heading for at first, but won't it be sort of obvious once" — he performed a quick headcount — "fourteen of us fly off toward Tonks's parents'?"

"Ah," said Moody, "I forgot to mention the key point. Fourteen of us won't be flying to Tonks's parents'. There will be seven Harry Potters moving through the skies tonight, each of them with a companion, each pair heading for a different safe house."

From inside his cloak Moody now withdrew a flask of what looked like mud. There was no need for him to say another word; Harry understood the rest of the plan immediately.

Alicia waited.

"No!" he said loudly, his voice ringing through the kitchen. "No way!"

"I told them you'd take it like this," said Hermione with a hint of complacency.

"Not a hard guess." Alicia added

"You knew!" Harry snapped at her

"Course I did." Alicia said "But I knew you'd react badly so I didn't tell you and everyone agreed on the idea." her voice was stern.

"If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives — !"

"— because it's the first time for all of us," said Ron.

"This is different, pretending to be me —"

"Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry," said Fred earnestly. "Imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever."

Alicia hit him. Harry did not smile.

"You can't do it if I don't cooperate, you need me to give you some hair."

"Well, that's that plan scuppered," said George. "Obviously there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate."

"Yeah, thirteen of us against one bloke who's not allowed to use magic; we've got no chance," said Fred.

"Funny," said Harry, "really amusing."

Alicia hopped down from her spot, Fred moving so she could and crossed her arms.

"I will literally rip it from your skull."

"Well what are we doing about you! They'll chase you too." he snapped at her

"Simple." and she sighed a little annoyed "I'm taking the polyjuice potion too. It'd be too hard for there to multiples of me as well and it'd be easier to disguise me as you. Especially seeing as I know you better than anyone so I'm actually the best decoy." she smiled

"If it has to come to force, then it will," growled Moody, his magical eye now quivering a little in its socket as he glared at Harry. "Everyone here's overage, Potter, and they're all prepared to take the risk."

"I don't count." Alicia said strongly when he looked at her to argue. "And they have to get me out of here too."

Mundungus shrugged and grimaced; the magical eye swerved sideways to glare at him out of the side of Moody's head.

"Let's have no more arguments. Time's wearing on. I want a few of your hairs, boy, now."

"But this is mad, there's no need —"

"No need!" snarled Moody. "With You-Know-Who out there and half the Ministry on his side? Potter, if we're lucky he'll have swallowed the fake bait and he'll be planning to ambush you on the thirtieth, but he'd be mad not to have a Death Eater or two keeping an eye out, it's what I'd do. They might not be able to get at you or this house while your mother's charm holds, but it's about to break and they know the rough position of the place. Our only chance is to use decoys. Even You-Know-Who can't split himself into seven."

Alicia and Harry shared a look.

"So, Potter — some of your hair, if you please."

Harry glanced at Ron, who grimaced at him in a just-do-it sort of way.

"Now!" barked Moody.

"For god's sakes." Alicia was beside him and yanked some hair from the top of his head and was over to Moody before Harry could say anything and she put it in the flask. The moment it made contact with its surface, the potion began to froth and smoke, then, all at once, it turned a clear, bright gold.

"Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry," said Hermione, before catching sight of Ron's raised eyebrows, blushing slightly, and saying, "Oh, you know what I mean — Goyle's potion looked like bogies."

"Right then, fake Potters line up over here, please," said Moody.

Ron, Hermione, Alicia, Fred and George lined up in front of Aunt Petunia's gleaming sink.

"We're one short," said Lupin.

"Here," said Hagrid gruffly, and he lifted Mundungus by the scruff of the neck and dropped him down beside George.

"I've toldjer, I'd sooner be a protector," said Mundungus.

"Shut it," growled Moody. "As I've already told you, you spineless worm, any Death Eaters we run into will be aiming to capture Potter, not kill him. Dumbledore always said You-Know-Who would want to finish Potter in person. It'll be the protectors who have got the most to worry about, the Death Eaters'll want to kill them."

Mundungus did not look particularly reassured, but Moody was already pulling half a dozen eggcup-sized glasses from inside his cloak, which he handed out, before pouring a little Polyjuice Potion into each one.

"This is gonna be a memory I can do without, I can feel it." Alicia admitted. But she still had the determined look that said she'd do it anyway.

"It's not like you're gonna look all that different." Fred said. The murderous look on Alicia's face made Fred swap places with George and away from her.

"Altogether, then…"

Ron, Hermione, Alicia. Fred, George and Mundungus drank.

All of them gasped and grimaced as the potion hit their throats: At once, their features began to bubble and distort like hot wax. Hermione and Mundungus were shooting upward; Ron, Fred, and George were shrinking; their hair was darkening, Hermione's and Alicia's appearing to shoot backward into their skulls.

Moody, quite unconcerned, was now loosening the ties of the large sacks he had brought with him. When he straightened up again, there were six Harry Potters gasping and panting in front of him.

Fred and George turned to each other and said together, "Wow — we're identical!"

"I dunno, though, I think I'm still better-looking," said Fred, examining his reflection in the kettle.

"I think I disagree, George's got better charisma." Alicia responded. She had her eyes closed.

"You scared of looking Alicia?" Fred smirked

"Little bit." she nodded and the twins chuckled.

"Those whose clothes are a bit roomy, I've got smaller here," said Moody, indicating the first sack, "and vice versa. Don't forget the glasses, there's six pairs in the side pocket. And when you're dressed, there's luggage in the other sack."

Alicia moved to a sack. She and Harry being the same height there wasn't much of a difference in their clothes, but she figured it'd be weird if she wore her clothes on Harry. Just a little obvious.

"I knew Ginny was lying about that tattoo," said Ron, looking down at his bare chest.

"Harry, your eyesight really is awful," said Hermione, as she put on glasses.

"I'll say." Alicia mumbled "How on earth did you get such terrible genes?"

"You got all the good ones." Fred said

"You're still in trouble." she responded back darkly.

Once dressed, the fake Harrys took rucksacks and owl cages, each containing a stuffed snowy owl, from the second sack.

Alicia went into the hallway and grabbed her cage with Noel in it before moving to the back door.

"To the Burrow Noel. And be careful." she said. The owl hooted and moved off. Nighttime was always best for Noel to go, she blended in perfectly with the night sky as she flew off and Alicia held her breath as she watched her go. All this planning had her nervous.

She moved back inside and grabbed a fake owl to put in her cage to complete the transformation.

"Good," said Moody, as at last seven dressed, bespectacled, and luggage-laden Harrys faced him. "The pairs will be as follows: Mundungus will be traveling with me, by broom —"

"Why'm I with you?" grunted the Harry nearest the back door.

"Because you're the one that needs watching," growled Moody, and sure enough, his magical eye did not waver from Mundungus as he continued, "Arthur and Fred —"

"I'm George," said the twin at whom Moody was pointing. "Can't you even tell us apart when we're Harry?"

"Sorry, George —"

"Fred stop waisting our time." Alicia said

"Gosh she knows who you are even as Harry." George said.

"Enough messing around!" snarled Moody. "The other one — George or Fred or whoever you are — you're with Remus on a broom. Alicia you'll be going with Bill by thestral." she nodded

"Miss Granger with Kingsley, again by thestral —"

Hermione looked reassured as she answered Kingsley's smile, Hermione lacked confidence on a broomstick.

"Which leaves you and me, Ron!" said Tonks brightly, knocking over a mug tree as she waved at him.

Ron did not look quite as pleased as Hermione.

"An' you're with me, Harry. That all righ'?" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious. "We'll be on the bike, brooms an' thestrals can't take me weight, see. Not a lot o' room on the seat with me on it, though, so you'll be in the sidecar."

"That's great," said Harry

"We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom," said Moody, who seemed to guess how Harry was feeling. "Snape's had plenty of time to tell them everything about you he's never mentioned before, so if we do run into any Death Eaters, we're betting they'll choose one of the Potters who look at home on a broomstick.

"All right then," Moody went on, tying up the sack with the fake Potters' clothes in it and leading the way back to the door, "I make it three minutes until we're supposed to leave. No point locking the back door, it won't keep the Death Eaters out when they come looking… Come on…"

Harry hurried into the hall to fetch his rucksack and Hedwig's cage before joining the others in the dark back garden.

On every side broomsticks were leaping into hands; Hermione had already been helped up onto a great black thestral by Kingsley as Alicia was helped up by Bill onto the other.

Hagrid was standing ready beside the motorbike, goggles on.

"Is this it? Is this Sirius's bike?"

"The very same," said Hagrid, beaming down at Harry. "An' the last time yeh was on it, Harry, I could fit yeh in one hand!"

Harry climbed into the side car which put him several feet below everyone else. Ron smirked at the sight of him sitting there like a child in a bumper car. Harry stuffed his rucksack down by his feet and rammed Hedwig's cage between his knees.

"Arthur's done a bit o' tinkerin'," said Hagrid, quite oblivious to Harry's discomfort. He settled himself astride the motorcycle, which creaked slightly and sank inches into the ground. "It's got a few tricks up its handlebars now. Tha' one was my idea."

He pointed a thick finger at a purple button near the speedometer.

"Please be careful, Hagrid," said Mr. Weasley, who was standing beside, holding his broomstick. "I'm still not sure that was advisable and it's certainly only to be used in emergencies."

"All right then," said Moody. "Everyone ready, please; I want us all to leave at exactly the same time or the whole point of the diversion's lost."

Everybody mounted their brooms and Alicia grabbed Bill tightly as he hopped up in front of her.

"Good luck." She said to Harry and he nodded

"Be careful." she rolled her eyes, the exact same as his even without the polyjuice and didn't respond.

"Hold tight now, Ron," said Tonks, and Harry saw Ron throw a furtive, guilty look at Lupin before placing his hands on either side of her waist. Hagrid kicked the motorbike into life: It roared like a dragon, and the sidecar began to vibrate.

"Good luck, everyone," shouted Moody. "See you all in about an hour at the Burrow. On the count of three. One… two… THREE."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

There was a great roar from the motorbike as Alicia went soaring upwards, she'd been on the back of a Thestral before and didn't even slide in her seat as they took off. Hermione and Kingsley passed them on the other thestral and Fred and Alicia held a look as they passed one another as well.

They climbed up through the sky as Alicia looked at the ground behind watching Privet Drive vanish before she turned back to the sky.

And then, out of nowhere, out of nothing, they were surrounded. At least thirty hooded figures, suspended in midair, formed a vast circle in the midst of which the Order members had risen, oblivious —

Screams, a blaze of green light on every side: Hagrid gave a yell and the motorbike rolled over.

Alicia's wand was in her hand and and several green jets of light that shot at her were deflected and one even hit another Death Eater.

Alicia had her one arm around Bill tightly, her knees were already sore from gripping to the Thestral with them, while her other hand sent spells off and away from her at the black hooded figures she could see. She heard the motorbike zoom and it shot out through the circle of Death Eaters. That broke them and four shot off after Harry. Bill had the Thestral ducking and swirling and they broke the circle as well. Kingsley and Hermione were gone, Mad-Eye and Mundungus were a little ways from them and half a dozen Death Eaters were following the two. Before Alicia could send off any more hexes she felt like something punched her in the gut. She felt like vomiting as she was filled with such a terrible feeling.

She spun instantly and her eyes widened to that of sources.

He was there. Voldemort was flying behind her like smoke on the wind, without a broomstick or thestral to hold him, his snake-like face gleaming out of the blackness, his white fingers raising his wand.

"Bill!" she called his attention and Bill saw him as Voldemort was after Mad-Eye. Voldemort thought Harry would be with the strongest, the most experienced, and Mad-Eye had probably known that. Mundungus cried out in fear, he was struggling on the broom stick. Mad-Eye tried to stop him and his wand went flying out of his hand while he was distracted. Mundungus disapparated right off the back of the broom. Voldemort had his wand raised and his curse of green light went flying straight at Mad-Eye.

"NO!" Alicia screamed before it hit him square in the face. Bill cried out as well as Alastor Moody, the famous Auror, fell backward off his broom and disappeared downwards into the night.

"We have to get him!" Alicia cried "We can't leave him!"

"Alicia, we can't!" Bill nudged the Thestral forwards again and Alicia, her eyes burning with tears, turned angrily to the Death Eater's chasing them.

The girl had enough wide area spells up her sleeve that dodging them was impossible with her non-verbal spells. She rose her wand angrily and several of the Death Eaters were sent blasting off through the sky and off their brooms away from them, disappearing into the night.

Alicia didn't stop her spells until every last one was blasted off far away from them.

There was silence as Alicia turned back, both arms around Bill.

"Mundungus, that coward!" Alicia cried "Couldn't even help Mad-Eye! Just a few spells!"

"He panicked Alicia." Bill said

"How'd they know we were being moved!" she demanded "Maybe if there'd been a few Death Eaters and more arrived later but there way too many! They knew, Bill." she said "Someone tipped them off." she glanced back behind them in fear. "Everyone else…"

"Don't worry Alicia." he said

"I can't help it, for you Fleur's safe at home, she's the one worrying, but Harry's out there and so's Fred." she said frowning, worried.

And then she hissed and her hand retracted to grasp at her neck. She cried out and Bill looked at her worried.

"Alicia!" her neck was searing with pain, but she didn't understand why. She looked at her hand but there was no blood.

It took her a fraction of a second to realise it was her scar that was burning, and there was only one reason for that.

"He found Harry!" she said quickly "Voldemort found him!" Bill pushed the Thestral further and Alicia clung to him and closed her eyes.

There were green lights everywhere, Harry's scar was burning on his forehead, Harry seemed to be spinning everywhere, the bike was crash landing.

A hooded figure on a broomstick was feet from him, he saw it raise its arm —

"NO!"

With a shout of fury Hagrid launched himself off the bike at the Death Eater; Harry saw both Hagrid and the Death Eater falling out of sight, their combined weight too much for the broomstick —

Barely gripping the plummeting bike with his knees, Harry heard Voldemort scream, " _Mine_!"

Voldemort could not be seen by Harry, the swirling of the bike and the pain in his head prevented his sight from working properly, the words beginning next however were clear.

" _Avada_ —"

 _No!_ Alicia shrieked. She didn't know what happened next but Harry's hand was drawn to upwards and there was a spurt of golden fire, a crack and a scream of fury. The remaining Death Eater yelled; Voldemort screamed, " _No_!"

Harry suddenly hit a button and as Alicia had seen the bike do, more flames shot into the air, hurtling straight toward the ground.

"Hagrid!" Harry called, holding on to the bike for dear life. "Hagrid — _Accio Hagrid_!"

The motorbike sped up, sucked toward the earth. Face level with the handlebars, Harry could see nothing but distant lights growing nearer and nearer: He was going to crash and there was nothing he could do about it. Behind him came another scream, _"_ _Your wand, Selwyn, give me your wand_!"

He felt Voldemort before he saw him. Looking sideways, he stared into the red eyes, Voldemort preparing to curse him once more —

And then Voldemort vanished. Harry looked down and saw Hagrid spread-eagled on the ground below him. He pulled hard at the handlebars to avoid hitting him, groped for the brake, but with an earsplitting, ground-trembling crash, he smashed into a muddy pond.

Alicia gasped and looked around.

Everything was calm, everything was quiet. The thestral flapped its wings and they rose and fell with every up and down they made.

"Harry made it to the safe house." Alicia said over the wind

"How do you know?" Bill asked astonished

"Harry and I have a connection. I can see and hear what he does, like delving into his mind." Alicia said "He and Hagrid crashed… Voldemort found him. He almost killed him."

"He's alive?" Bill asked. Alicia nodded, and yet she was crying.

She could only imagine Mad-eye, sprawled on the ground somewhere, perhaps some Death Eaters had gone after him… if Fenrir Greyback had been amongst them all then…

Alicia hid her face in Bill's back.

Harry was safe, Hagrid was— Mad-Eye was dead, Mundungus was gone… what about everyone else? She imagined Fred, disguised as Harry, clinging to his dad's back on a broom, Death Eaters on their tail.

Voldemort had gone after Mad-Eye first, thinking him the strongest and best protection. He knew Mundungus wasn't Harry when he disaparatad. Who would be the next target?

Alicia felt cold. If she was to chose, she'd choose Kingsley! Hermione! Alicia shook her head, she didn't want to think about it, Hermione was with Kingsley. Hermione would be safe… and anyway, Voldemort was after Harry, he might have not even gone to Kingsley

 _But how did Voldemort know which Harry was the right one?_ Alicia didn't understand, Voldemort always valued power and he'd never believe Harry to be with Hagrid in a unprotected side car. He thought Auror and power, and he thought broom — Mad-Eye first. So what drew him to Harry? What did Harry do? Was it the connection of their soul?

No, if that had been the case, Voldemort would have known from the beginning.

"Bill, how far are we?"

"We're flying straight for The Burrow Alicia." Bill said

"We're not taking a portkey?"

"No, you and me are heading straight there." he said and Alicia nodded. At least when they touched down, that would be it, she'd be with everyone and she'd know, she'd know if Fred was alright. If Hermione and Ron were safe, she wondered…

"Will everyone else arrive before us?"

"Most likely as everyone else had portkeys." Bill responded.

She could imagine it, everyone standing around waiting for the two of them, Mad-Eye and Mundungus. She wondered if they'd all just be worried, or would there be a few jokes. She hoped the twins would liven the mood with their jokes… but then maybe Fred would be too worried about her to do so. For the first time she wished it wasn't just Harry she had a connection with. Could he tell she was alright as she could him? Would he tell everyone she and Bill were safe, would he see what she had seen and tell them of Moody?

"Will we be far behind?" Alicia asked

"No, Thestrals are rather fast."

"And great with directions." Alicia nodded.

She finally rose her head from Bill's back and looked around. She wondered how far they were, the ground was still covered in tiny lights that glittered more like stars.

It wasn't long later that they began to fall.

"Almost there Alicia." Bill assured and she nodded.

It came into sight as they dropped, the wonderful house of The Burrow, towering high with it's many stories and bedrooms. As they dropped Alicia could see many people standing in the yard, clearly waiting. It seemed they were all around two, perhaps two had only just gotten back before them.

Alicia felt as they went through a barrier and it washed over them, she glanced back at it before looking at the ground. She heard a cry before the Thestral touched down to the ground and she and Bill both slipped from it's back.

Alicia looked around. Standing in the yard was Harry, Ginny, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Hermione, Tonks, Lupin, Hagrid and Fleur. The Weasley twins were missing but seeing as Fred had been with Mr Weasley and George with Lupin, who were outside now, she assumed… she prayed, they were alright, or at least alive.

"Bill! Thank God, thank God —"

Mrs. Weasley ran forward, and before Alicia could say anything Harry had her in a death grip.

"Harry, need to breath." she muttered before he released her slightly and looked at her. She noticed her black hair was over her shoulder and assumed she was back to her normal self, she hadn't even noticed the changes or the feeling of the polyjuice potion wearing off.

"Are you alright!?" Alicia said looking at him "I saw — Voldemort, crash landing, Hagrid!" her voice became frantic as she looked up at him.

"We're alright." Harry said nodding to her, calming her down. He was looking at her as if looking for wounds she had.

"Are you alright?"

"Not a scratch." she assured as she looked around. Hermione came up and enveloped her before Ginny followed suit. Ron pulled her into a one armed hug and she smiled at them all before turning back to Harry.

"Fred?" she demanded. Harry smirked slightly.

"He's fine, he's inside with George."

Alicia ran straight for the house, ignoring Bill's next statement as he told everyone about Mad-Eye.

Alicia moved through the kitchen and into the living room. Fred was by the couch and he looked up as he saw her before getting to his feet. He pulled her off her feet as he wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his shoulder as she held him back. Both were just solidifying that they were both here, together.

"You were starting to worry me when you took so long."

"Bill and I didn't have a portkey, we had to travel it all on the Thestral." Alicia said and she looked at the couch were she saw George's orange hair.

"George?" Alicia moved from Fred and he looked up at her as her hands moved to her mouth. There was a gaping hole on George's head where his ear should have been. It seemed he'd been cleaned up already for if it hadn't been for the hole he'd have looked fine, though a little pale.

"George," she moved to kneeled beside him and Fred did too "Oh dear, are you alright?" she whispered

"I'm feeling pretty Holy actually." Alicia snorted and Fred was laughing.

"That's terrible." Alicia decided as everyone else came into the house. They were all downcast and miserable and Alicia's laughter died before she lowered her gaze and hung her head. Fred looked at her sudden change confused before he noticed everyone else.

"What's wrong?" said Fred, scanning their faces as they entered. "What's happened? Who's — ?"

"Mad-Eye," said Mr. Weasley. "Dead."

The twins' grins turned to grimaces of shock.

"Voldemort got him." Alicia whispered "He fell off his broom. Mungungus disappeared the second he saw Voldemort." she scowled slightly "It was before we hardly even got anywhere, the second the circle broke almost." she looked at Fred and he held her closer.

Nobody seemed to know what to do. Tonks was crying silently into a handkerchief: She had been close to Mad-Eye, his favourite and his protégée at the Ministry of Magic. Hagrid, who had sat down on the floor in the corner where he had most space, was dabbing at his eyes with his tablecloth-sized handkerchief.

Bill walked over to the sideboard and pulled out a bottle of firewhisky and some glasses.

"Here," he said, and with a wave of his wand he sent thirteen full glasses soaring through the room to each of them, holding the fourteenth aloft. "Mad-Eye."

"Mad-Eye," they all said, and drank.

"Mad-Eye," echoed Hagrid, a little late, with a hiccup.

The firewhisky as usual seared at Alicia's toes and moved to warm every inch of her.

"So Mundungus disappeared?" said Lupin, who had drained his own glass in one.

The atmosphere changed at once. Everybody looked tense, watching Lupin, both wanting him to go on and slightly afraid of what they might hear.

"I know what you're thinking," said Bill, "and I wondered that too, on the way back here, because they seemed to be expecting us, didn't they? But Mundungus can't have betrayed us. They didn't know there would be seven Harrys, that confused them the moment we appeared, and in case you've forgotten, it was Mundungus who suggested that little bit of skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told them the essential point? I think Dung panicked, it's as simple as that. He didn't want to come in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him, and You-Know-Who went straight for them. It was enough to make anyone panic."

"Mungundus didn't last a second, he was there longer than he wanted to be because Mad-Eye stopped him, it distracted him from Voldemort." Alicia said

"You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to," sniffed Tonks. "Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley…"

"And then he went after Harry…" Alicia said turning to him "How did he know?"

"Harry used a disarming charm." Lupin answered and Alicia groaned

"Of course you did." she mumbled.

"Yes, and zat eez all very good," snapped Fleur, "but still eet does not explain 'ow zey knew we were moving 'Arry tonight, does eet? Somebody must 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to an outsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing ze date but not ze 'ole plan."

She glared around at them all, tear tracks still etched on her beautiful face, silently daring any of them to contradict her. Nobody did. The only sound to break the silence was that of Hagrid hiccuping from behind his handkerchief.

"If anyone had intended to betray Harry, we wouldn't be here now." Alicia said and everyone looked at her. "If any of us had intended to cause all this, then Harry wouldn't be here right now, because they'd have known which was him." she said and she looked at Harry who nodded.

"If somebody made a mistake," Harry went on, "and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault," he repeated, again a little louder than he would usually have spoken. "We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort."

"If we start fighting amongst ourselves then we're done for." Alicia agreed

"Well said, Potter twins," said Fred unexpectedly, nudging Alicia, she gave him a look with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, 'ear, 'ear," said George, with half a glance at Fred, the corner of whose mouth twitched as Alicia rolled her eyes but smiled.

Lupin was wearing an odd expression as he looked at Harry. It was close to pitying.

"You think I'm a fool?" demanded Harry.

"No, I think you're like James," said Lupin, "who would have regarded it as the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends."

Peter Pettigrew flashed through Alicia's mind and her expression contorted. Lupin said nothing more, setting down his glass upon a side table, and addressed Bill, "There's work to do. I can ask Kingsley whether —"

"No," said Bill at once, "I'll do it, I'll come."

"Where are you going?" said Tonks and Fleur together.

"Mad-Eye's body," said Lupin. "We need to recover it."

"Can't it—?" began Mrs. Weasley with an appealing look at Bill.

"Wait?" said Bill. "Not unless you'd rather the Death Eaters took it?"

Nobody spoke. Lupin and Bill said good-bye and left.

The rest of them now dropped into chairs, all except for Harry, who remained standing.

"I've got to go too," said Harry.

Ten pairs of startled eyes looked at him and Alicia dropped her head.

 _Of course, here we go,_

"Don't be silly, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't stay here."

He rubbed his forehead, Alicia knew his scar was prickling, her's was too. She hadn't felt it at all last year, but then, she hadn't seen Voldemort in all that time either.

"You're all in danger while I'm here. I don't want —"

"Leave? Don't be so silly!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Will you shut up." Alicia said to him

"Alicia—" he began

"We can't go anywhere, we've got three days left till we can use magic without Ministry officials popping up." she reminded him. "You're staying put." she said strongly.

"The whole point of tonight was to get you here safely, and thank goodness it worked. And Fleur's agreed to get married here rather than in France, we've arranged everything so that we can all stay together and look after you —" Mrs Weasley said

"If Voldemort finds out I'm here —"

"But why should he?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"There are a dozen places you might be now, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. "He's got no way of knowing which safe house you're in."

"Honestly, this'd be the first place I'd look." Alicia murmured, but that was because they'd spent so many summers here already."

"It's not me I'm worried for!" said Harry.

"We know that," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "but it would make our efforts tonight seem rather pointless if you left."

"Yer not goin' anywhere," growled Hagrid. "Blimey, Harry, after all we wen' through ter get you here?"

"Yeah, what about my bleeding ear?" said George, hoisting himself up on his cushions.

"I know that —"

"Mad-Eye wouldn't want —"

"I KNOW!" Harry bellowed.

"Don't get angry at them, you're the one being stupid." Alicia said. "You're not going to save anyone by being reckless." Harry looked at her before he turned away.

There was a long and awkward silence which was broken at last by Mrs. Weasley.

"Where's Hedwig, Harry?" she said coaxingly. "We can put her up with Pigwidgeon and Noel, give her something to eat."

"She got here alright?" Alicia asked and Mrs Weasley nodded.

Alicia nodded, letting out a sigh of relief before she suddenly felt pain, not in her head, in her chest.

She looked up at Harry and the question sounded in her head again.

 _Where's Hedwig?_ Harry turned to her and her eyes welled with tears.

The white owl, that beautiful creature…

"No…" she murmured and Fred looked at her as as she got up and Harry accepted her hug.

"Wait till it gets out yeh did it again, Harry," said Hagrid. "Escaped him, fought him off when he was right on top of yeh!"

"It wasn't me," said Harry flatly. "It was my wand. My wand acted of its own accord."

After a few moments, Hermione said gently, "But that's impossible, Harry. You mean that you did magic without meaning to; you reacted instinctively."

"No," said Harry. "The bike was falling, I couldn't have told you where Voldemort was, but my wand spun in my hand and found him and shot a spell at him, and it wasn't even a spell I recognised. I've never made gold flames appear before."

"Often," said Mr. Weasley, "when you're in a pressured situation you can produce magic you never dreamed of. Small children often find, before they're trained —"

"It wasn't like that," said Harry through gritted teeth. Alicia could feel him getting unnecessarily angry and put a hand on his arm. He looked at her.

"You'll find it's because of Voldemort." Alicia said and everyone looked at her "I felt it pull on your hand when it moved. You might find that after yours and his wands clashed together so often that your phoenix wand recognises Voldemort."

"But that's impossible." Hermione said

"I don't think it is. You need to remember Harry and Voldemort's wand have a connection, there's no telling how they'd act around one another. Wands can think for themselves remember, as Ollivander always said 'the wand chooses the wizard'."

No one spoke as an answer and Harry looked at Alicia gratefully. She smiled before her hand retracted to her neck. Harry suppressed a moan as their scars seared with pain. He grabbed her hand and, with a mutter about needing some fresh air, he pulled her outside.

"It hasn't hurt like this in ages?"

"But then Voldemort blocked you out." Alicia reminded him, "Maybe in his anger of having failed to kill you again, he's not putting that forth." Alicia winced as they crossed the dark yard, the great skeletal thestral looked up, rustled its enormous batlike wings, then resumed its grazing. Harry stopped at the gate into the garden, staring out at its overgrown plants and Alicia watched him.

"Dumbledore would've believed me." he said

"Bet you he'd also be able to give you one of his famous guesses that was spot on correct." Alicia agreed and Harry smiled slightly.

Alicia felt the pain in her neck peak and Harry clutched his forehead, Alicia grabbing him incase he fell. She watched him as his eyes were closed and she felt something push at her.

"Harry, push it out." she said but he was too busy listening to distant screams that were far away.

"Harry!" she shook him and he opened his eyes. He was clutching Alicia's arm much too tightly but she ignored that. Hermione and Ron were moving towards them.

"Harry, come back in the house," Hermione whispered. "You aren't still thinking of leaving?"

"Yeah, you've got to stay, mate," said Ron, thumping Harry on the back.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked, close enough now to look into Harry's face. "You look awful!"

"Well," said Harry shakily, "I probably look better than Ollivander…"

"What happened to him?" Alicia asked

"You didn't see?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"He has Ollivander, he was told he could defeat me if he used another's wand but it didn't work and he's angry." Harry said

"Voldemort hadn't used his wand?" Alicia asked and Harry shook his head. So Harry's wand hadn't reacted to Voldemort's wand, to it's brother, it had reacted to Voldemort himself? How did that happen?

While Alicia looked quizzical, Ron looked appalled, but Hermione downright terrified.

"But it was supposed to have stopped! Your scar — it wasn't supposed to do this anymore! You mustn't let that connection open up again — Dumbledore wanted you to close your mind!"

"Hermione, Harry never did anything, Voldemort kept Harry out last year." Alicia said

"But Harry can't let it open up!" Hermione said desperately.

Harry said nothing and Hermione gripped his arm.

"Harry, he's taking over the Ministry and the newspapers and half the Wizarding world! Don't let him inside your head too!"

Harry looked at Alicia.

 _If you let him in, he could find you._ she said.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

The shock of losing Mad-Eye hung over the house in the days that followed; Order members came and went from the house, relaying news of things that had been happening outside of the Burrow.

Harry still had thoughts of leaving, but until their birthday Alicia shot them all down as they crossed his mind, though she never let anyone else know of his constant plans.

 _Besides, Hermione and Ron would kill you if we went without them and they'd probably just go looking for you and get themselves hurt or kidnapped in the process._ she said in annoyance at him.

Ron had caught the two having such a conversation and was with Alicia.

"Well, you can't do anything about the" — Ron mouthed the word Horcruxes — "till you're seventeen. You've still got the Trace on you. And we can plan here as well as anywhere, can't we? Or," he dropped his voice to a whisper, "d'you reckon you already know where the You-Know-Whats are?"

"No," Harry admitted.

"I think Hermione's been doing a bit of research," said Ron. "She said she was saving it for when you got here."

They were sitting at the breakfast table; Mr. Weasley and Bill had just left for work. Mrs. Weasley had gone upstairs to wake Hermione and Ginny, while Fleur had drifted off to take a bath.

"The Trace'll break on the thirty-first," said Harry. "That means I only need to stay here four days. Then I can —"

"Five days," Ron corrected him firmly. "We've got to stay for the wedding. They'll kill us if we miss it. It's one extra day," said Ron, when Harry looked mutinous.

"Don't they realise how important — ?"

"One day is not going to break us Harry, we don't even know where we're going or where to start." Alicia said cutting him off.

" 'Course they don't," said Ron looking at Alicia. "They haven't got a clue. And now you mention it, I wanted to talk to you both about that."

Alicia looked at him as Ron glanced toward the door into the hall to check that Mrs. Weasley was not returning yet, then leaned in closer to the twins.

"Mum's been trying to get it out of Hermione and me. What we're off to do. She'll try you two next, so brace yourself. Dad and Lupin've both asked as well, but when we said Dumbledore told you not to tell anyone except us, they dropped it. Not Mum, though. She's determined."

"Well I have enough experience in rowing with your mother." Alicia said "Brace yourselves, it's gonna get loud." she said.

Mrs Weasley cornered Harry first within a few hours shortly before lunch.

"There she goes, I told you."

"Yeah well she's no control over me and its your choice to do as we've asked so sorry." Alicia said

"Sometimes it scares me how you can go up against my mother." Ron said

"You've forgotten who I am clearly." she responded.

A few hours later she had Alicia in her grasp as she asked the girl to help her cut some vegetables for dinner.

"What is this I hear about you dropping out of school Alicia?"

"I don't really see a question in there Mrs Weasley."

"Harry seems to think Dumbledore gave you two specifically a job to do—"

"He doesn't seem to think Mrs Weasley, he did. And only Harry and I can do it."

"And what makes you think that?" Mrs Weasley snapped

"Several reasons of which I am not at liberty to discuss unfortunately. It's a grave matter that even if I wanted to give to someone else I would not. I wont allow others to put themselves into this kind of place or to give this kind of job to and from my point of view it is much more important than my education, learning is not going anywhere."

"If that's the case why didn't he have the whole Order behind it?"

"Because the less people who knows about it the more likely we are to succeed. Now Dumbledore told absolutely no one of his plans for Harry and I and he permitted us to tell no one but Hermione and Ron, so we are not telling you not matter how much you badger us Mrs Weasley. If Hermione and Ron decide to drop out of school to accompany us then so be it, that's their decision and we're safer if we're together. There is nothing you can say or do, that can stop us or make us change our minds, but I know you're going to try so good luck." And the stubborn Alicia walked away without another word.

Hermione, Ron and Harry were all in the living room, ears dropping.

"What do you mean she'll try and stop us?" Ron asked when Alicia was close enough

"Oh come on, she doesn't approve, she doesn't know what it is but that doesn't mean she'll give up. She's where Ginny gets her stubbornness from." Alicia said rolling her eyes annoyed.

From that moment on, Mrs. Weasley kept Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione so busy with preparations for the wedding that they hardly had any time to think. The kindest explanation of this behaviour would have been that Mrs. Weasley wanted to distract them all from thoughts of Mad-Eye and the terrors of their recent journey. Alicia believed otherwise.

"She's keeping us apart so we can't get any further with our plans." Alicia told the three in an evening "She's trying to stop us in her own weird usual way."

After two days of nonstop cutlery cleaning, of colour-matching favours, ribbons, and flowers, of degnoming the garden and helping Mrs. Weasley cook vast batches of canapés, and they began to notice it as well. For one thing, all the jobs she handed out seemed to keep Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione away from one another; the three had not had a proper talk since the first night, when Harry had told them about Voldemort torturing Ollivander.

"Give it a bit and just watch, I'm gonna loose it if she starts interrupting." Alicia said to Harry.

As if on cue, Mrs Weasley's voice sounded.

"Alicia, come here a moment and give me a hand dear!" Alicia turned away, took a deep breath to calm herself and went off, Harry chuckling as she did.

They were often joined by other Order members for dinner now, because the Burrow had replaced number twelve, Grimmauld Place as the headquarters. Mr. Weasley had explained that after the death of Dumbledore, their Secret-Keeper, each of the people to whom Dumbledore had confided Grimmauld Place's location had become a Secret-Keeper in turn.

"And as there are around twenty of us, that greatly dilutes the power of the Fidelius Charm. Twenty times as many opportunities for the Death Eaters to get the secret out of somebody. We can't expect it to hold much longer."

"Great so our own house is likely infected." Alicia complained

"But surely Snape will have told the Death Eaters the address by now?" asked Harry.

"Well, Mad-Eye set up a couple of curses against Snape in case he turns up there again. We hope they'll be strong enough both to keep him out and to bind his tongue if he tries to talk about the place, but we can't be sure. It would have been insane to keep using the place as headquarters now that its protection has become so shaky."

The kitchen was so crowded that evening it was difficult to manoeuvre knives and forks. Alicia was squashed between Hermione and Ginny, Harry on Ginny's other side.

"No news about Mad-Eye?" Harry asked Bill.

"Nothing," replied Bill.

They had not been able to hold a funeral for Moody, because Bill and Lupin had failed to recover his body. It had been difficult to know where he might have fallen, given the darkness and the confusion of the battle.

"The _Daily Prophet_ hasn't said a word about him dying or about finding the body," Bill went on. "But that doesn't mean much. It's keeping a lot quiet these days."

"And they still haven't called a hearing about all the underage magic I used escaping the Death Eaters?" Harry called across the table to Mr. Weasley, who shook his head.

"I actually forgot that was a factor." Alicia said "There were so many of us who's to say we even did it." she shrugged

"Could be because they know I had no choice or because they don't want me to tell the world Voldemort attacked me?"

"The latter, I think. Scrimgeour doesn't want to admit that You-Know-Who is as powerful as he is, nor that Azkaban's seen a mass breakout."

"Yeah, why tell the public the truth?" said Harry

"Isn't anyone at the Ministry prepared to stand up to him?" asked Ron angrily.

"Of course, Ron, but people are terrified," Mr. Weasley replied, "terrified that they will be next to disappear, their children the next to be attacked! There are nasty rumours going around; I for one don't believe the Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts resigned. She hasn't been seen for weeks now. Meanwhile Scrimgeour remains shut up in his office all day: I just hope he's working on a plan."

"What would be the point in resigning anyway? No where else is much safer than Hogwarts, or anywhere else really. Not much different whether you're there or not." Alicia believed

There was a pause in which Mrs. Weasley magicked the empty plates onto the work surface and served apple tart.

"We must decide 'ow you will be disguised, 'Arry, you too Alicia," said Fleur, once everyone had pudding. "For ze wedding," she added, when he looked confused and Alicia paused. "Of course, none of our guests are Death Eaters, but we cannot guarantee zat zey will not let something slip after zey 'ave 'ad champagne."

"Yes, good point," said Mrs. Weasley from the top of the table, where she sat, spectacles perched on the end of her nose, scanning an immense list of jobs that she had scribbled on a very long piece of parchment.

"Can't we just turn my hair red for the night and maybe transfigure a few features, like my eye colour, I'll wear contacts, seems pretty simple to me." Alicia said "I changed my hair red once in class, looked like my mother was staring back at me." she smirked

"It's not very full proof Alicia." Hermione said

"Could be if we did enough work." she shrugged. "Better than being someone else again."

"Now, Ron, have you cleaned out your room yet?" Mrs Weasley spoke up.

" _Why_?" exclaimed Ron, slamming his spoon down and glaring at his mother. "Why does my room have to be cleaned out? Harry and I are fine with it the way it is!" Alicia thought he was being rather childish.

"We are holding your brother's wedding here in a few days' time, young man —"

"And are they getting married in my bedroom?" asked Ron furiously. "No! So why in the name of Merlin's saggy left —"

"Don't talk to your mother like that," said Mr. Weasley firmly. "And do as you're told."

Ron scowled at both his parents, then picked up his spoon and attacked the last few mouthfuls of his apple tart.

"I can help, some of it's my mess," Harry told Ron, but Mrs. Weasley cut across him.

"No, Harry, dear, I'd much rather you helped Arthur muck out the chickens, and Hermione, I'd be ever so grateful if you'd change the sheets for Monsieur and Madame Delacour; you know they're arriving at eleven tomorrow morning."

"And Alicia, you and Ginny will need to make room in Ginny's room too."

"Would you like me clean the living room and scrub your kitchen as well? How about I weed the garden and remove all the broken flowers by my self seeing as I'm not allowed any help!" Alicia snapped at the women, in which everyone stopped and looked at her. "Seriously I'd wish you'd stop moving us all around and manipulating us like pawns to try and in-plant your antics in a place they're not wanted!"

Everyone had watched her shocked, Mrs Weasley included as she got up and stormed out of the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Despite her tone and argumentative nature, Alicia accompanied Ginny to her room to do as Mrs Weasley had asked. The two girls worked as they cleaned the room up until Ginny broke it.

"Are you guys really going to plan and kill Voldemort?" Alicia paused and looked at her surprise, where on earth had she gotten that idea from? The answer came to her when she remember how comfortable Harry was around her. He'd more than likely let it slip to her. She looked annoyed before sighing, it couldn't be helped.

"You've heard about Harry being the Chosen One. Voldemort's failed to kill him how many times already?" Alicia said "And all that's going on is highly revolved around Voldemort's wish to get Harry. You know what he's like about people protecting him and getting hurt for him, he wont let anyone do it." she shrugged

"So you're gonna kill him?" Ginny asked

"We gotta figure out how first." Alicia mumbled, which was not a complete lie, after all, they didn't know how to destroy horcruxes or where any of them were.

They were done rather quickly and Alicia left the room to head up the stairs to Ron's room.

"Don't let your mum catch you lying on the job." Ron jolted upwards as she walked into the room before he lay back down again.

"If you're here I don't see why I need to worry, she'll snap at you instead." he responded

"Or ignore me." Alicia shrugged as she grinned at Hermione. She was sitting in the far corner with her fluffy ginger cat, Crookshanks, at her feet, sorting books.

"You took some of my books didn't you." Alicia said as she noticed a few of her titled books in the piles.

"You brought an awful many."

"I brought them all." Alicia shrugged in response as she sat herself down to lean against Ron's bed.

"How'd you get away from your task?"

"Ginny and I finished it." Alicia shrugged "You?"

"Mrs Weasley got us to change the sheets yesterday." Hermione shrugged

"Good, she's loosing it." Alicia smirked. The door opened again and this time Harry was waling in.

"I'm doing it, I'm doing—! Oh, it's you," said Ron in relief, as Harry entered, he'd gotten up from his bed to do the work before simply laying back down on it. It was clear he'd done none of the work he was supposed to as the room was just as messy as it had been all week.

"You know you've got a wand right Ron, wont take you a minute to clean up." Alicia said. He merely shrugged, his ears going slightly red. Alicia assumed he didn't know how to do such a spell and left it at that.

"Hi, Harry," Hermione said, as he sat down on his camp bed.

"And how did you manage to get away?"

"Oh, Ron's mum forgot that she asked Ginny and me to change the sheets yesterday," said Hermione. She threw _Numerology and Grammatica_ onto one pile and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ onto the other.

"We were just talking about Mad-Eye," Ron told Harry and Alicia. "I reckon he might have survived."

"But Bill and Alicia saw him hit by the Killing Curse," said Harry.

"Yeah, but Bill was under attack too," said Ron. "How can he be sure what he saw?"

"I watched it happen, Ron, right in his face." Alicia mumbled.

"Even if the Killing Curse missed, Mad-Eye still fell about a thousand feet," said Hermione, now weighing _Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland_ in her hand.

"He could have used a Shield Charm —"

"Alicia said his wand was blasted out of his hand," said Harry looking at her.

"Well, all right, if you want him to be dead," said Ron grumpily, punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape.

"Of course we don't want him to be dead!" said Hermione, looking shocked. "It's dreadful that he's dead! But we're being realistic!"

"Sorry Ron, saw it with my own eyes, he's not coming back." Alicia said solemnly.

"The Death Eaters probably tidied up after themselves, that's why no one's found him," said Ron wisely.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Like Barty Crouch, turned into a bone and buried in Hagrid's front garden. They probably transfigured Moody and stuffed him —"

"Don't!" squealed Hermione. Startled, Harry looked over just in time to see her burst into tears over her copy of _Spellman_ _'s Syllabary._

"Oh no," said Harry, struggling to get up from the old camp bed. "Hermione, I wasn't trying to upset —"

But with a great creaking of rusty bedsprings, Ron bounded off the bed and got there first. One arm around Hermione, he fished in his jeans pocket and withdrew a revolting-looking handkerchief that he had used to clean out the oven earlier. Hastily pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the rag and said, " _Tergeo._ "

The wand siphoned off most of the grease. Looking rather pleased with himself, Ron handed the slightly smoking handkerchief to Hermione.

Alicia watched him, surprised at how fast he'd moved and acted and Harry turned to her with the same look on his face.

"Oh… thanks, Ron… I'm sorry…" She blew her nose and hiccuped. "It's just so awful, isn't it? R-right after Dumbledore… I j-just n-never imagined Mad-Eye dying, somehow, he seemed so tough!"

"Yeah, I know," said Ron, giving her a squeeze. "But you know what he'd say to us if he was here?"

" 'C-constant vigilance,' " said Hermione, mopping her eyes.

"That's right," said Ron, nodding. "He'd tell us to learn from what happened to him. And what I've learned is not to trust that cowardly little squit, Mundungus."

Hermione gave a shaky laugh and leaned forward to pick up two more books. A second later, Ron had snatched his arm back from around her shoulders; she had dropped _The Monster Book of Monsters_ on his foot. The book had broken free from its restraining belt and snapped viciously at Ron's ankle.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Hermione cried as Harry wrenched the book from Ron's leg and retied it shut. Alicia was lying on the floor laughing, too busy clutching at her stomach to help.

"What are you doing with all those books anyway?" Ron asked, limping back to his bed.

"Just trying to decide which ones to take with us," said Hermione. "When we're looking for the Horcruxes."

"Oh, of course," said Ron, clapping a hand to his forehead. "I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library."

"Ha ha," said Hermione, looking down at _Spellman_ _'_ _s Syllabary_ as Alicia snickered some more. "I wonder… will we need to translate runes? It's possible… I think we'd better take it, to be safe."

"I'm taking all my books Hermione, don't you dare leave a single one of them behind." Alicia said to her.

"You're not gonna need them all Alicia." Hermione said looking at her surprised

"Not to help us maybe but I'm gonna need something to do by the day."

"You wont have time, we'll be on an adventure." Ron said

"You're mad if you think we'll be off going through hard spells and investigating caves every single day, it's not going to be nearly that easy." Alicia said, surprised by his confidence in how easy he thought it'd be. "You realise this quest could take years right?" she said and Ron shrugged it off. Hermione sighed in agreement as she dropped the syllabary onto the larger of the two piles and picked up _Hogwarts, A History._

"Oh take that one." Alicia said

"For you to read? Don't you know it off by heart?" Ron asked

"No, but remember, one of the Horcruxes will be something of Ravenclaw's, where better to look up about Ravenclaw then in the history book of her school?" Alicia asked. Hermione instantly put it in the 'going' pile.

"Listen," said Harry.

He had sat up straight. Ron and Hermione looked at him with similar mixtures of resignation and defiance. Alicia looked annoyed at him.

"I know you said after Dumbledore's funeral that you wanted to come with me," Harry began.

"Here he goes," Ron said to Hermione, rolling his eyes.

"As we knew he would," she sighed, turning back to the books. "Alicia do you think we'll need Fantastic Beasts?"

"Definitely, travelling around the country and the world in chaos who knows what we'll run into." Alicia agreed, the two ignoring Harry.

"Listen!" said Harry again.

"No, Harry, _you_ listen," said Hermione. "We're coming with you. That was decided months ago — years, really."

"But —"

"Shut up," Ron advised him.

"— are you sure you've thought this through?" Harry persisted.

"Let's see," said Hermione, slamming _Travels with Trolls_ onto the discarded pile with a rather fierce look. "I've been packing for days, so we're ready to leave at a moment's notice, which for your information has included doing some pretty difficult magic, not to mention smuggling Mad-Eye's whole stock of Polyjuice Potion right under Ron's mum's nose.

"I've also modified my parents' memories so that they're convinced they're really called Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that their life's ambition is to move to Australia, which they have now done. That's to make it more difficult for Voldemort to track them down and interrogate them about me — or you, because unfortunately, I've told them quite a bit about you." Alicia looked at Hermione with the utmost horror. Her own parents?

"Assuming I survive our hunt for the Horcruxes, I'll find Mum and Dad and lift the enchantment. If I don't — well, I think I've cast a good enough charm to keep them safe and happy. Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they've got a daughter, you see."

"Hermione…" Alicia whispered to her, but she dropped her gaze, hadn't she done the same?

Hermione's eyes were swimming with tears again. Ron got back off the bed, put his arm around her once more, and frowned at Harry as though reproaching him for lack of tact.

Harry looked at Alicia and she gave him another disapproving annoyed look.

"I — Hermione, I'm sorry — I didn't —"

"Didn't realise that Ron and I know perfectly well what might happen if we come with you? Well, we do. Ron, show Harry what you've done."

"Nah, he's just eaten," said Ron.

"Go on, he needs to know!"

"Oh, all right. Harry, come here. You too Alicia, though you don't need the convincing." Alicia got up and went after Ron to the door where they realised Harry hadn't moved.

"C'mon."

"Why?" Harry asked, following Ron out of the room onto the tiny landing.

" _Descendo,_ " muttered Ron, pointing his wand at the low ceiling. A hatch opened right over their heads and a ladder slid down to their feet. A horrible, half-sucking, half-moaning sound came out of the square hole, along with an unpleasant smell like open drains.

"That's your ghoul, isn't it?" asked Harry as Alicia looked curious.

"Yeah, it is," said Ron, climbing the ladder. "Come and have a look at him."

Alicia went up the stairs first and Harry followed Ron into the tiny attic space. The ghoul was fast asleep in the gloom with its large mouth wide open.

"But it… it looks… do ghouls normally wear pyjamas?"

"No," said Ron. "Nor have they usually got red hair or that number of pustules."

It was human in shape and size, and was wearing what was clearly an old pair of Ron's pyjamas. Ghouls were also generally rather slimy and bald, but this one was distinctly hairy and covered in angry purple blisters.

"He's me, see?" said Ron.

"No," said Harry. "I don't."

"Well I don't see you but I get what you've done Ron, very clever." Alicia confessed, looking at the ghoul.

"I'll explain it back in my room, the smell's getting to me," said Ron. They climbed back down the ladder, which Ron returned to the ceiling, and rejoined Hermione, who was still sorting books.

"Once we've left, the ghoul's going to come and live down here in my room," said Ron. "I think he's really looking forward to it — well, it's hard to tell, because all he can do is moan and drool — but he nods a lot when you mention it. Anyway, he's going to be me with spattergroit. Good, eh?"

Harry merely looked at him with confusion.

"That's rather clever Ron." Alicia said "How'd you— did you get the idea from when we were last in St Mungos and that portrait said you had spattergroit?" she asked grinning and Ron nodded.

"Brilliant." she grinned and Ron grinned back before looking at Harry.

He hadn't seemed to grasp the concept.

"Look, when we four don't turn up at Hogwarts again, everyone's going to think Hermione and I must be with you two, right? Which means the Death Eaters will go straight for our families to see if they've got information on where you are."

"But hopefully it'll look like I've gone away with Mum and Dad; a lot of Muggle-borns are talking about going into hiding at the moment," said Hermione.

"We can't hide my whole family, it'll look too fishy and they can't all leave their jobs," said Ron. "So we're going to put out the story that I'm seriously ill with spattergroit, which is why I can't go back to school. If anyone comes calling to investigate, Mum or Dad can show them the ghoul in my bed, covered in pustules. Spattergroit's really contagious, so they're not going to want to go near him. It won't matter that he can't say anything, either, because apparently you can't once the fungus has spread to your uvula."

"And your mum and dad are in on this plan?" asked Harry.

"Dad is. He helped Fred and George transform the ghoul. Mum… well, you've seen what she's like. She won't accept we're going till we've gone."

"Damn Fred for not telling me." Alicia cursed and Ron and Hermione laughed. "Anyway, she'll have to accept it when we drop off the radar." Alicia said frowning. "And as soon as Harry and I are seventeen she can't really do much to stop us, all we need to do is run for the boundary and apparate, even if that'll really upset her." Ron nodded.

The muffled sounds of Mrs. Weasley shouting come up and reached them from four floors below, causing them to turn slightly towards it.

"Ginny's probably left a speck of dust on a poxy napkin ring," said Ron. "I dunno why the Delacours have got to come two days before the wedding."

"Fleur's sister's a bridesmaid, she needs to be here for the rehearsal, and she's too young to come on her own," said Hermione, as she pored indecisively over _Break with a Banshee._

"Well, guests aren't going to help Mum's stress levels," said Ron.

"Nothing's really gonna help." Alicia said "Except the wedding being over, then she'll go back to worrying." she sighed.

"What we really need to decide," said Hermione, tossing _Defensive Magical Theory_ into the bin without a second glance and picking up _An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe,_ "is where we're going after we leave here. I know you said you wanted to go to Godric's Hollow first, Harry, and I understand why, but… well… shouldn't we make the Horcruxes our priority?"

"If we knew where any of the Horcruxes were, I'd agree with you," said Harry.

"I don't think we should." Alicia said and the three looked at her, Harry with betrayal and surprise, she was frowning. "It's not a good idea, the only way I'd agree to it is if we could go before our birthday, we wont be expected to before we're of age but after that…" she looked at Hermione who nodded, understanding.

"Don't you think there's a possibility that Voldemort's keeping a watch on Godric's Hollow?" Hermione asked. "He might expect you to go back and visit your parents' graves once you're free to go wherever you like?"

Harry had nothing to say as he realised she was right but tried to find an argument regardless. Ron spoke up first, evidently following his own train of thought.

"This R.A.B. person," he said. "You know, the one who stole the real locket?"

Hermione nodded.

"He said in his note he was going to destroy it, didn't he?" Harry dragged his rucksack toward him and pulled out the fake Horcrux in which R.A.B.'s note was still folded.

" ' _I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can,_ ' " Harry read out.

"Well, what if he _did_ finish it off?" said Ron.

"Or she," interposed Hermione.

"Whichever," said Ron, "it'd be one less for us to do!"

"Yes, but we're still going to have to try and trace the real locket, aren't we?" said Hermione, "to find out whether or not it's destroyed."

"Well for that we need to find out who R.A.B is…" Alicia mumbled "God you know it's been bugging me, like I should know the answer, it's been a while since that's happened." she said looking frustrated.

"And once we get hold of it, how _do_ you destroy a Horcrux?" asked Ron.

"You have to destroy it beyond all repair." Alicia said and they all looked at her

"How do you know?"

"I asked Dumbledore," she shrugged "And that was really all he said about it, not very helpful but it'll stop us using useless things like normal hexes, they wont work."

"I've been researching it." said Hermione,

"How?" asked Harry. "I didn't think there were any books on Horcruxes in the library?"

"There weren't," said Hermione, who had turned pink. "Dumbledore removed them all, but he — he didn't destroy them." Alicia was smirking and the two boys looked from her to Hermione.

Ron sat up straight, wide-eyed.

"How in the name of Merlin's pants have you managed to get your hands on those Horcrux books?"

"It — it wasn't stealing!" said Hermione, looking from Harry to Ron with a kind of desperation. "They were still library books, even if Dumbledore had taken them off the shelves."

"Yeah but you don't borrow them really, they weren't in the library." Alicia said looking cocky while Hermione looked at her annoyed.

"Anyway, if he _really_ didn't want anyone to get at them, I'm sure he would have made it much harder to —"

"Get to the point!" said Ron.

"Well… it was easy," said Hermione in a small voice. "I just did a Summoning Charm. You know — Accio. And — they zoomed out of Dumbledore's study window right into the girls' dormitory."

"But when did you do this?" Harry asked

"Just after his — Dumbledore's — funeral," said Hermione in an even smaller voice. "Right after we agreed we'd leave school and go and look for the Horcruxes. When Alicia and I went back upstairs to get our things Alicia was talking about where we should start and what we should do, at that point it — it just occurred to me that the more we knew about them, the better it would be… and we were alone in there… so I tried… and it worked. They flew straight in through the open window and I — I packed them."

"She wouldn't let me take them despite the fact that she was fluffing about what she'd done the whole way down to the train." Alicia admitted.

She swallowed and then said imploringly, "I can't believe Dumbledore would have been angry, it's not as though we're going to use the information to make a Horcrux, is it?"

"Can you hear us complaining?" said Ron. "Where are these books anyway?"

Hermione rummaged for a moment and then extracted from the pile a large volume, bound in faded black leather. She looked a little nauseated and held it as gingerly as if it were something recently dead.

"This is the one that gives explicit instructions on how to make a Horcrux. _Secrets of the Darkest Art_ — it's a horrible book, really awful, full of evil magic. I wonder when Dumbledore removed it from the library… If he didn't do it until he was headmaster, I bet Voldemort got all the instruction he needed from here."

"Why did he have to ask Slughorn how to make a Horcrux, then, if he'd already read that?" asked Ron.

"He only approached Slughorn to find out what would happen if you split your soul into seven," said Harry. "Dumbledore was sure Riddle already knew how to make a Horcrux by the time he asked Slughorn about them. I think you're right, Hermione, that could easily have been where he got the information."

"And the more I've read about them," said Hermione, "the more horrible they seem, and the less I can believe that he actually made six. It warns in this book how unstable you make the rest of your soul by ripping it, and that's just by making one Horcrux!"

Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said about Voldemort moving beyond "usual evil."

"Isn't there any way of putting yourself back together?" Ron asked.

"Yes," said Hermione with a hollow smile,

"What?" Alicia snapped at her suddenly. Instantly her mind went to how she held a part of Harry's soul.

Hermione nodded at her. "but it would be excruciatingly painful."

"Why? How do you do it?" asked Harry.

"Remorse," said Hermione. "You've got to really feel what you've done. There's a footnote. Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. I can't see Voldemort attempting it somehow, can you?"

"No," said Ron, before Harry could answer. "So does it say how to destroy Horcruxes in that book?"

"Yes," said Hermione, now turning the fragile pages as if examining rotting entrails, "because it warns Dark wizards how strong they have to make the enchantments on them. From all that I've read, what Harry did to Riddle's diary was one of the few really foolproof ways of destroying a Horcrux."

"What, stabbing it with a basilisk fang?" asked Harry.

"Oh well, lucky we've got such a large supply of basilisk fangs, then," said Ron. "I was wondering what we were going to do with them."

"It doesn't have to be a basilisk fang," said Hermione patiently. "Like Alicia said, it has to be something so destructive that the Horcrux can't repair itself. Basilisk venom only has one antidote, and it's incredibly rare —

"— phoenix tears," said Harry, nodding.

"Exactly," said Hermione. "Our problem is that there are very few substances as destructive as basilisk venom, and they're all dangerous to carry around with you. That's a problem we're going to have to solve, though, because ripping, smashing, or crushing a Horcrux won't do the trick. You've got to put it beyond magical repair."

"But even if we wreck the thing it lives in," said Ron, "why can't the bit of soul in it just go and live in something else?"

"Because a Horcrux is the complete opposite of a human being."

Harry and Ron looked confused as Alicia contemplated.

"A soul in a human doesn't need the body to survive, but a horcux soul needs it's host as protection." she thought.

Harry and Ron just shared another look and Hermione hurried to explain.

"Look, if I picked up a sword right now, Ron, and ran you through with it, I wouldn't damage your soul at all."

"Which would be a real comfort to me, I'm sure," said Ron. Harry laughed.

"It should be, actually! But my point is that whatever happens to your body, your soul will survive, untouched," said Hermione. "But it's the other way round with a Horcrux. The fragment of soul inside it depends on its container, its enchanted body, for survival. It can't exist without it."

"That diary sort of died when I stabbed it," said Harry looking at Alicia who nodded, remembering ink pouring like blood from the punctured pages, and the screams of the piece of Voldemort's soul as it vanished.

"And once the diary was properly destroyed, the bit of soul trapped in it could no longer exist. Ginny tried to get rid of the diary before you did, flushing it away, but obviously it came back good as new."

"Hang on," said Ron, frowning. "The bit of soul in that diary was possessing Ginny, wasn't it? How does that work, then?"

"The soul in the diary sucked on Ginny's soul to fuel it as Ginny poured a bit of her soul, her secrets, her desires, into the diary." Alicia remembered and Hermione nodded.

"While the magical container is still intact, the bit of soul inside it can flit in and out of someone if they get too close to the object. I don't mean holding it for too long, it's nothing to do with touching it," she added before Ron could speak. "I mean close emotionally. Ginny poured her heart out into that diary, she made herself incredibly vulnerable. You're in trouble if you get too fond of or dependent on the Horcrux."

"I wonder how Dumbledore destroyed the ring?" said Harry. "Why didn't I ask him? I never really…"

"He did it rather quickly." Alicia said thinking "remember, he told us he injured his hand not long before coming to get us, he didn't have to go looking for some rare dangerous thing like venom of a Basilisk, and I don't think he'd be able to get down into the chamber to get one of those fangs anyway." she thought "He's have to have either known some people, had some really good magic, or, already have had something destructive enough on hand…"

Everyone was watching her as she thought and she stopped, looking at the three.

"What?" she asked

"Well, did you figure it out?" Ron asked. She looked at them.

"Are you just sitting there waiting for me to hit an answer?" she asked and the three nodded. "Come on give me a bit more time wont you, it usually takes a bit more than that for me to get the answer." she confessed.

They all sighed but didn't push the answer before the bedroom door flew open with a wall-shaking crash. Hermione shrieked and dropped _Secrets of the Darkest Art_ ; Crookshanks streaked under the bed, hissing indignantly; Ron jumped off the bed, skidded on a discarded Chocolate Frog wrapper, and smacked his head on the opposite wall; and Harry instinctively dived for his wand and Alicia simply turned around in surprise before becoming annoyed. She was looking at Mrs. Weasley, whose hair was disheveled and whose face was contorted with rage.

"I'm so sorry to break up this cozy little gathering," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm sure you all need your rest… but there are wedding presents stacked in my room that need sorting out and I was under the impression that you had agreed to help."

"Oh yes," said Hermione, looking terrified as she leapt to her feet, sending books flying in every direction, "we will… we're sorry…"

"All you had to do was send a reminder memo." Alicia said rolling her eyes and Hermione looked at her terrified as she hurried out of the room after Mrs. Weasley.

"It's like being a house-elf," complained Ron in an undertone, still massaging his head as he, Alicia and Harry followed. "Except without the job satisfaction. The sooner this wedding's over, the happier I'll be."

"Yeah," said Harry, "then we'll have nothing to do except find Horcruxes… It'll be like a holiday, won't it?"

"More like a camping trip." Alicia said thinking "It's sort of the same isn't it?" she asked

Ron started to laugh, but at the sight of the enormous pile of wedding presents waiting for them in Mrs. Weasley's room, stopped quite abruptly.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

The Delacours arrived the following morning at eleven o'clock. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were feeling quite resentful toward Fleur's family by this time, Alicia was down right frustrated and bad-tempered with Mrs Weasley, and it was with ill grace that Ron stumped back upstairs to put on matching socks, and Harry attempted to flatten his hair. Once they had all been deemed smart enough, they trooped out into the sunny backyard to await the visitors.

Alicia had never been to The Burrow where it'd been as clean as it was. The rusty cauldrons and old Wellington boots that usually littered the steps by the back door were gone, replaced by two new Flutterby bushes standing either side of the door in large pots; though there was no breeze, the leaves waved lazily, giving an attractive rippling effect. The chickens had been shut away, the yard had been swept, and the nearby garden had been pruned, plucked, and generally spruced up.

The Order and the ministry had placed so many enchantments upon The Burrow that it was no longer possible for anybody to travel by magic directly into the place. Mr. Weasley had therefore gone to meet the Delacours on top of a nearby hill, where they were to arrive by Portkey. The first sound of their approach was an unusually high-pitched laugh, which turned out to be coming from Mr. Weasley, who appeared at the gate moments later, laden with luggage and leading a beautiful blonde woman in long, leaf-green robes, who could only be Fleur's mother.

"Maman!" cried Fleur, rushing forward to embrace her. "Papa!"

Monsieur Delacour was nowhere near as attractive as his wife; he was a head shorter and extremely plump, with a little, pointed black beard. However, he looked good-natured. Bouncing toward Mrs. Weasley on high-heeled boots, he kissed her twice on each cheek, leaving her flustered.

"You 'ave been to much trouble," he said in a deep voice. "Fleur tells us you 'ave been working very 'ard."

"Oh, it's been nothing, nothing!" trilled Mrs. Weasley. "No trouble at all!"

Alicia was highly disagreeable and so was Ron, who relieved his feelings by aiming a kick at a gnome who was peering out from behind one of the new Flutterby bushes.

"Dear lady!" said Monsieur Delacour, still holding Mrs. Weasley's hand between his own two plump ones and beaming. "We are most honoured at the approaching union of our two families! Let me present my wife, Apolline." Madame Delacour glided forward and stooped to kiss Mrs. Weasley too.

" _Enchanté_ _e,_ " she said. "Your 'usband 'as been telling us such amusing stories!"

Mr. Weasley gave a maniacal laugh; Mrs. Weasley threw him a look, upon which he became immediately silent and assumed an expression appropriate to the sickbed of a close friend.

"And, of course, you 'ave met my leetle daughter, Gabrielle!" said Monsieur Delacour. Gabrielle was Fleur in miniature; eleven years old, with waist-length hair of pure, silvery blonde, she gave Mrs. Weasley a dazzling smile and hugged her, then threw Harry a glowing look, batting her eyelashes. Ginny cleared her throat loudly and Alicia started snickering so that Ginny shoved her, only making her laugh more.

"Well, come in, do!" said Mrs. Weasley brightly, and she ushered the Delacours into the house, with many "No, please!"s and "After you!"s and "Not at all!"s.

The Delacours, it soon transpired, were helpful, pleasant guests. They were pleased with everything and keen to assist with the preparations for the wedding. Monsieur Delacour pronounced everything from the seating plan to the bridesmaids' shoes " _Charmant_!" Madame Delacour was most accomplished at household spells and had the oven properly cleaned in a trice; Gabrielle followed her elder sister around, trying to assist in any way she could and jabbering away in rapid French.

On the downside, The Burrow was not built to accommodate so many people. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were now sleeping in the sitting room, having shouted down Monsieur and Madame Delacour's protests and insisted they take their bedroom. Gabrielle was sleeping with Fleur in Percy's old room, and Bill would be sharing with Charlie, his best man, once Charlie arrived from Romania. Opportunities to make plans together became virtually nonexistent, and it was in desperation that Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione took to volunteering to feed the chickens just to escape the overcrowded house.

"She's still doing it." Alicia said "The only thing that makes me seriously deny and have a go at her for it is that she's so stressed I think she'll break."

"Well, she's not always going to be around." Harry said

"She's done a pretty good job the last two days." Alicia said disbelieving. "I mean we haven't even gotten to thinking about our first stop." Alicia said to the three. "We're gonna leave here and go somewhere. I don't know about you but if we want a proper building we're gonna have to think of a non-wizard place in order for it to be secluded." she said thinking "I mean we could go to Grimmauld Place, now we know it's exact whereabouts, but what with it being less protected now…" she paused in thinking. Of everyone who had known about it's location Snape was probably the worst, and Alicia believed he wouldn't bother telling Voldemort of such a place now he knew it was empty after last year. Mundungus had already raided and cleared it out so it was unlikely he'd bother with it again, especially after Harry and Alicia had had a go at him the previous October, Harry almost strangling him. There was no one else who would willingly give up the information.

"Though for a hideout for four children I don't really think it'd be that bad, especially if we're hardly leaving or no one else knows about it."

"We can't go to Grimmauld Place, Snape will have told about it!" Hermione believed

"For what reason?" Alicia asked "There's nothing there, it's empty and probably got infected again by doxies, dust and god knows what else we cleaned out two summers ago. The Order moved on at the end of last year and didn't really use it much, everyone's too busy to visit it and there's no one there to do so." Alicia said

"But it's not safe, so many people know…" Hermione continued

"And of those people don't you believe only Mundungus and Snape are really worth worrying about?" Alicia said "Mundungus already raided the place he's probably forgotten about it, and he's such a worm I doubt you'll find him getting caught." she said shrugging "Honestly I don't really think that for a hiding place it'd require much worrying… and I doubt Snape bothered to tell them the address of the place."

"You sound like you've got faith in him." Harry said angrily

 _I do._ "I'm logical." she responded with. "We don't have to go there, it's just the only _building_ option we've got. Everywhere else we can think of I bet is being watched or isn't safe enough." she shrugged. "And where we go after here has to be essential, the first few at least because Voldemort will be on high alert right after our birthday. The longer we're hidden the harder it'll be for him to think of so many places." she said

"But where should we go then?" Ron said

"Perhaps somewhere no one would think of. All of the places I've been to have been recorded in the Orphanage so none of those are great choices, they can be followed. Hermione, you've probably got some good visits that can't be thought of, any idea where we should head first?" Alicia wondered.

"Well I went to a few random places only once with my family." she shrugged

"Those are the places we want to stick to while we're moving. If we go to meaningful places they'll be thought of to check." Alicia said as Harry and Ron shared a look, clearly thinking this was rather extreme.

"Can't we just go anywhere?" Ron questioned

"Sort of, but also, no." Alicia shrugged "For example I doubt the Leaky Cauldron or Diagon Alley is a place you'd agree is safe for us to show our faces in." she said and Hermione nodded instantly.

"Well we've gotta get through the wedding first." Harry said grimly

"And we still gotta figure out how to disguise you two." Ron added

"It's the day after my birthday I'll twiddle myself enough." Alicia said "You guys have such a large family I just need to be considered a cousin." she said "Harry too." she nudged him.

"I still think Polyjuice potion would be better Alicia."

"The only reason for hiding me is that Harry and I are always together, and if I do a good enough job, recognising me wont be an issue." she smiled "I've got it thought out, don't worry."

"Well we still need to think abut Harry." Hermione said

"You mean amongst all of mum's slave jobs." Ron said annoyed.

"Guess that's what happens when you've got a wizarding family." Alicia muttered but Ron's attention was taken away from them.

"But she _still_ won't leave us alone!" snarled Ron, as Mrs. Weasley carrying a large basket of laundry in her arms as charging across the lawn towards them.

"She wants to stop us she's not doing a good job, we can talk and walk at the same time." Alicia said.

"Oh, good, you've fed the chickens," she called as she approached them. "We'd better shut them away again before the men arrive tomorrow… to put up the tent for the wedding," she explained, pausing to lean against the henhouse. She looked exhausted. "Millamant's Magic Marquees… they're very good, Bill's escorting them… You'd better stay inside while they're here, Harry, Alicia. I must say it does complicate organising a wedding, having all these security spells around the place."

"I'm sorry," said Harry humbly.

"I would be but you're frustrating me to a tee." Alicia said in response.

"Oh, don't be silly, dear!" said Mrs. Weasley at once, choosing to ignore Alicia as she sometimes did in moments where the two didn't get along. "I didn't mean — well, your safety's much more important! Actually, I've been wanting to ask you how you want to celebrate your birthday, Harry. Seventeen, after all, it's an important day…"

"Hello!" Alicia said as Mrs Weasley didn't look at her "I'm turning seventeen too, or does no one remember I exist all of a sudden." she asked annoyed

"Of course Alicia, any ideas." Alicia scowled at her as Harry and Ron chuckled at the women's choice of words, but took a breath to speak anyway.

"Well it depends, if you've got room somewhere in the house then I'm happy with a cake and dinner with everyone and to leave it at that." she said looking at Harry.

"I don't want a fuss," said Harry "Really, Mrs. Weasley, as Alicia said, just a normal dinner would be fine… It's the day before the wedding…"

"Oh, well, if you're sure, dear. I'll invite Remus and Tonks, shall I? And how about Hagrid?"

"That'd be great," said Harry.

"Make sure those twins are here." Alicia said strongly "Or they're gonna wish they were on the run." she said darkly.

"But please don't go to loads of trouble." Harry said as a cover up.

"Not at all, not at all… It's no trouble…"

She looked at him, a long, searching look, then smiled a little sadly, straightened up, and walked away.

"Sometimes I think she likes to put strain on herself, I mean she didn't need to have her house be the main base for the Order, at the exact same time she was planning a wedding, it could've been anywhere else after all." Alicia said

"I think she wants everyone together mostly, I mean even Charlie's coming home remember." Harry said

"Honestly I think he'd be safer in Romania with the dragons." Alicia frowned "But now we have something much better to look forward to." she said

"What?" Harry asked.

Alicia hit her forehead with her hand and Hermione and Ron started laughing.

"I swear, we are not related!" Alicia said strongly with frustration, only making the two laugh even more as Harry looked at them all confused.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Ginny awoke Alicia up by jumping on her and the girl groaned from the sudden weight before she coughed in complaint.

"God what are you five?" Alicia mumbled through her grogginess and Ginny only started laughing.

"Well you can't sleep forever." Hermione grinned from Alicia's other side.

"Here." Alicia rubbed her eyes before she managed to sit up. Ginny was holding out a present. "It took me ages to figure out what to get you, considering you're going away but I figured I'd keep it simple."

It was clearly a book and when Alicia opened it, she found a magical cook book.

"Seeing as you're going to have to look after yourselves." Ginny smiled

"This is perfect." Alicia grinned as Hermione looked at it over her shoulder "I actually hadn't even thought of that part." Ginny chuckled at her

"This one's from me." Hermione smiled, handing it to her. It was a box and Alicia opened it. She looked inside to find a miniature version of Noel. It fluttered out of the box and in front of Alicia chirping at her before moving to her shoulder. Alicia stared at it.

"It's not real, wont be able to send letters, but it requires similar things." Hermione said.

Alicia stared at it and she suddenly hit a terrible realisation that had yet to occur to her.

She couldn't take Noel with her.

Ginny and Hermione looked at Alicia as she suddenly looked sad and worried.

"Alicia?" Ginny asked. Alicia looked up at her as Hermione placed a hand on Alicia's shoulder, watching her.

"Noel." Alicia muttered and she looked at the little owl. "I can't take her." she said "We can't apparate around with an owl with us, and we cant send letters, someone would notice her." she mumbled. "I just realised."

"Don't worry Alicia." the girl turned to Ginny beside her. "I'll look after her." Alicia stared at her before she smiled sadly and pulled Ginny into a hug.

"Crookshanks is staying to Alicia, they'll be fine." Hermione assured, patting Alicia's back.

"Make sure she's safe. I've never been without her before."

"I can even leave her here, what with Errol being… Errol." she said and the three girls laughed.

"It's probably better you do Ginny, if you're seen with her at Hogwarts then it might lead the Death Eaters to you." she said and Ginny nodded and Hermione brushed Alicia's hair comfortingly and she smiled.

Alicia then turned smugly to Ginny.

"So, what you get Harry?" she stopped and then sighed, the two girls watching.

"I couldn't think of anything."

"Well, not like it has to be physical." Alicia grinned before she got up and got dressed. She waved her wand absentmindedly and her clothes all folded themselves up as she grinned.

"Seventeen, don't have any restrictions!" she grinned before she sighed "All these protections and I could totally just apparate down stairs." Ginny laughed at her as Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Fred's a bad influence on you." she decided

"It's been said." Alicia agreed, earning laughs from both as she turned for the door and headed up the stairs, a gift in her hand.

"This isn't your average book," Ron's voice sounded. "It's pure gold: _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches._ Explains everything you need to know about girls. If only I'd had this last year I'd have known exactly how to get rid of Lavender and I would've known how to get going with… Well, Fred and George gave me a copy, and I've learned a lot. You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either."

"I am ashamed I even heard that." Alicia said as she opened the door and both boys blushed at her, Harry shoving the book out of sight. "Charm women, he doesn't need to charm women, he's got Ginny." Alicia said to Ron.

"He broke it off with her." he snapped at her

"Only until Voldemort's gone then his excuse is gone and they can be together happily." Alicia said, waving her hand absentmindedly. "Happy birthday Harry." she grinned and chucked him her present, which he caught.

"Happy birthday Alicia," and he chucked her one back. Both opened them and Harry found a bottle of firewhisky from Alicia while she had another charm for the bracelet Fred had gotten her, a tiny golden snitch.

"That's lovely." Alicia grinned, clipping it to the bracelet she never took off.

"You bought him fire whisky?" Ron asked looking disappointed

"I bought him a bottle, which I put a little charm on, so it always duplicates the last little bit to refill itself again. Figured since we're going away it'd be handy." she said a little annoyed at Ron. Now she'd explained though the boy looked at it with fascination.

"Brilliant Alicia." he grinned

"I know." she flicked her hair

"What's with the bird?" Harry asked, it had been on her shoulder and when she'd flicked her hair it's moved to the top of her head.

"Isn't it sweet? Hermione gave it to me, it's like a baby Noel. It's not real, but seeing as I can't take Noel with us…"

"Why not?"

"She'd be too much of a give away." Alicia frowned to Harry. "It's alright though, Ginny's promised to look after her here." she smiled and then sauntered from the room proudly to head down the stairs. Ginny was still in her room it seemed with Hermione as Alicia came into the kitchen.

There was two piles of presents waiting on the table. Bill and Monsieur Delacour were finishing their breakfasts, while Mrs. Weasley stood chatting to them over the frying pan.

"Morning Alicia, Happy birthday." Mrs Weasley smiled at her.

"Thank you Mrs Weasley."

"Arthur unfortunately had to go to work early but he wished you a Happy Birthday." she said

"Will he be here for dinner?"

"Oh yes."

"Then I excuse him." Bill chuckled as Alicia said down for some breakfast.

The door opened before she could touch a single present and she was hoisted out of her seat and smothered by two bodies, causing her mini-Noel to take chirping flight and stand on top of the other presents. Instantly she knew they were the twins and waited for them to release her.

"Happy seventeenth!" they chorused.

"I'm seventeen? Really?" Alicia asked with a look of shock on her face, causing the two to laugh. They held out a present and Alicia took it, it being the first to be opened apart from Ginny and Hermione's.

Alicia removed the wrapping to find a box, and opening it, she found a golden watch, encrusted with diamonds by the looks of it, sitting upon a small cousin and she stared at it surprised.

"Mum says it's traditional to give a watch for seventeen, we all got one." George grinned.

"We made sure to ask mum we could get it for you so she wouldn't double up, so don't worry." Fred said.

"One day you're gonna go broke from spending on me." Alicia said as she took out the watch and clasped it to her wrist, correcting the time and grinning.

"Well, we made it so it matched your bracelet." George said pointing. Both were gold and both had diamonds encrusted somewhere on it. "Hey you got a snitch."

"From Harry this morning." she nodded.

"Well, good thing I didn't get you another charm. I got you this instead." Fred said holding up another box. Alicia looked confused

"What? You didn't buy together?" she asked looking between them.

"Yeah we did, but Fred had to outshine me." George rolled his eyes

"That's possible?" Alicia asked and George grinned

"He can dream." Alicia grinned at Fred who smirked down at her as she took the box.

This one was much smaller than that of the one that held the watch and Alicia opened it.

When she didn't exclaim thank you, seem surprised or even move, Bill, Monsieur Delacour and Mrs Weasley all looked up.

Alicia rose an eyebrow.

"You're supposed to be on one knee when you present a ring, you know." she said and Mrs Weasley gasped as though she'd been knocked over.

Sitting in the cushion was a gold ring. The band was thin and the top half encrusted with very small diamonds and on the top was a rather large diamond, tear shaped and surrounded by more small round ones, encrusted into the gold metal work. It was simple, yet intricate.

"Do you want me to?" Fred asked smirking at her

"Is that what it's for?" Alicia responded as the two males were watching surprised.

"I'd think not!" Mrs Weasley said

"What? You don't want me as a daughter-in-law?" Alicia said back instantly, not looking at her as she and Fred held one another's eyes. Her voice was calm and her expression showed no hurt or malice or disappointment. It was just a question.

"Don't worry Mum." George grinned as Fred took the ring from it's case and placed it on the middle finger of Alicia's right hand.

"And even if Fred did decide to propose to me it wouldn't mean we'd go and steal Bill and Fleur's wedding reception." Alicia grinned as Fred kissed the ring now on her finger.

"A proposal's not set in stone mum." Fred grinned at her and Mrs Weasley seemed to have taken a breath and able to get a grip on herself again as the Weasley twins and Alicia grinned.

"Better not scare her like that for a few more years." Alicia said amused

"Well you are going to need to get through your Auror training first." George reminded her and she grinned as she looked down at the ring now gracing her finger, matching her bracelet and new watch.

She said nothing about her future career wish, without her N.E.W.T there was a likely chance that she wouldn't get her wish… if she survived that is.

Harry and Ron came down the stairs before Ginny and Hermione did and Harry was greeted with happy birthday's from the twins.

Alicia took a seat as Harry looked at the pile of presents he had, Alicia moving to open Mr and Mrs Weasley's present for her. She was curious as to what it would be if the twins had gotten her the watch.

"Arthur told me to wish you a happy seventeenth, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley, beaming at him. "He had to leave early for work, but he'll be back for dinner. That's our present on top."

Harry sat down, took the square parcel she had indicated, and unwrapped it. Inside was a watch, it was gold, with stars circling around the face instead of hands.

"It's traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age," said Mrs. Weasley, watching him anxiously from beside the cooker. "I'm afraid that one isn't new like Ron's, it was actually my brother Fabian's and he wasn't terribly careful with his possessions, it's a bit dented on the back, but —"

The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her. She responded by patting his cheek clumsily and waving her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor.

Alicia grinned as she pulled out her present from Mr and Mrs Weasley, unwrapping it. Inside sat a bracelet. Gold, and a a bangle. In the centre of it, was a rectangular plaque, flatter to the rest of ht bangle and wider, in which Alicia's name had been engraved.

"It belonged to one of my family as well, her name also was Alicia, she had no descendants of her own and I thought it quite fitting." Mrs Weasley smiled

"It's beautiful." Alicia smiled and she clipped the bangle on with her gold chain charm bracelet. "Thank you Mrs Weasley…" she said "After all, I don't really have many heirlooms." she whispered, glancing fleetingly at Harry. After all, Mrs Weasley didn't know about the map.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" said Hermione, hurrying into the kitchen and adding her own present to the top of the pile. "It's not much, but I hope you like it. What did you get him?" she added to Ron, who seemed not to hear her.

"Come on, then, open Hermione's!" said Ron.

She had bought him a new Sneakoscope.

"He dodged my question." Hermione whispered to Alicia, slightly put out. Alicia smirked slightly.

"It's best you don't know." she responded.

Fleur it seemed had decided on Alicia's present, for she couldn't see Bill buying her perfume from France that smelled like it had Armortentia in it instead of perfume. Hermione had to take it away from Alicia's nose so she'd put it down. Bill and Fleur had gotten Harry a razor, which Monsieur Delacour had apparently heard of.

"Ah yes, zis will give you ze smoothest shave you will ever 'ave," Monsieur Delacour assured him, "but you must tell it clearly what you want… ozzerwise you might find you 'ave a leetle less hair zan you would like…"

The Delacours had given both twins chocolates and the Weasley twins had given Harry an enormous box of the latest Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes merchandise.

"You'll go broke doing that."

"Yeah it seems you and Harry are going to completely bankrupt us." George agreed, but he was grinning.

"What they give you Alicia?" Hermione asked. She rose her left hand to show the watch.

"They insisted on giving me one instead of their parents." she said

"That's beautiful." Hermione said

"A thing for jewellery Hermione?" Fred asked and for some reason he seemed to want to show off her ring too, as if it was sitting on her left hand instead of the right. He laced their fingers together and raised their hands, showing her the gold diamond ring on Alicia's finger.

Hermione gasped like Mrs Weasley had.

"Wrong hand Hermione." Alicia said rolling her eyes and Hermione looked at her two hands before realising she was right. "Wrong finger too."

"Wow!" Hermione grinned "It's gorgeous." Alicia chuckled "I don't thing there'd actually be anything wrong if you two got married actually." she said "You do fit together perfectly after all." Fred responded by wrapping his arms around Alicia's shoulders and kissing her temple. She grinned.

Madam Delacour, Fleur and Grabrielle came into the kitchen then and it automatically became overly crowded.

Hermione, Ron and Harry took this as an opportunity to leave the room, Hermione scooping up Harry's presents from him.

"I'll pack these for you," Hermione said brightly. Alicia looked at her with a raised eyebrow as they left the kitchen.

"That was odd of Hermione." Fred thought

"Probably got something to do with Ginny." Alicia mumbled as they ate breakfast.

It wasn't a few moments later that Ron suddenly came trudging down the stairs looking mightily unhappy, Harry following warily behind and Hermione trotting after them looking scared.

Alicia watched them and so did everyone else.

"Uh oh…" she muttered and she got up to follow.

She followed them to a seclusion of the freshly mown lawn before Ron suddenly rounded on Harry.

"You ditched her. What are you doing now, messing her around?"

"I'm not messing her around," said Harry, as Hermione and Alicia caught up with them.

"Ron —"

But Ron held up a hand to silence Hermione.

"She was really cut up when you ended it —"

"So was I. You know why I stopped it, and it wasn't because I wanted to."

"Yeah, but you go snogging her now and she's just going to get her hopes up again —"

"She's not an idiot, she knows it can't happen, she's not expecting us to — to end up married, or —"

"I take it Ginny gave Harry his birthday present." Alicia mumbled to Hermione. Hermione looked at her worried.

"Do we do something?"

"Kinda hard to when they both have a point." Alicia admitted

"If you keep groping her every chance you get —"

"It won't happen again," said Harry harshly. "Okay?"

"Not that we're going to be around long anyway." Alicia mumbled

Ron looked half resentful, half sheepish; he rocked backward and forward on his feet for a moment, then said, "Right then, well, that's… yeah."

"Can we turn today back into a happy celebratory birthday then?" Alicia asked and the two boys turned to her as she rose an eyebrow "Especially as it's the last day before the wedding." Alicia mumbled and the three laughed.

Dinner for the twins birthday would have stretched the limits of The Burrow's kitchen, with Charlie arriving during the day and Lupin, Tonks and Hagrid still to come, they decided to place several tables end to end in the garden. Fred and George bewitched a number of purple lanterns, all emblazoned with a large number 17, to hang in midair over the guests. Thanks to Mrs. Weasley's ministrations, George's wound was neat and clean and the twins couldn't help but make multiple jokes out of it.

Hermione made purple and gold streamers erupt from the end of her wand and drape themselves artistically over the trees and bushes.

"Nice," said Ron, as with one final flourish of her wand, Hermione turned the leaves on the crabapple tree to gold. "You've really got an eye for that sort of thing."

"Thank you, Ron!" said Hermione, looking both pleased and a little confused.

Harry and Alicia shared a look.

"Think he got it from that book?" she whispered and Harry smiled in response, smirking. Turning away Alicia saw him grin at Ginny and then abruptly look away.

"Out of the way, out of the way!" sang Mrs. Weasley, coming through the gate with what appeared to be a giant, beach-ball-sized Snitch floating in front of her.

Alicia looked at it marvellously as it was her and Harry's birthday cake. She grinned at it.

"That looks amazing, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, it's nothing, dear," she said fondly. Over her shoulder, Ron gave Harry the thumbs-up and mouthed, _Good one._

"No, he's right, that's incredible." Alicia said shooting Ron a look.

By seven o'clock all the guests had arrived, led into the house by Fred and George, who had waited for them at the end of the lane. Hagrid had honoured the occasion by wearing his best, and horrible, hairy brown suit. He shook Alicia's whole arm wishing her happy birthday, followed by Lupin, and Tonks, the later go which who gave her a very big and bright hug. Alicia looked at her for a moment. She glanced at Lupin who was addressing Harry. Although Lupin smiled as he shook Harry's hand, he looked rather unhappy. It was all very odd; Tonks, beside him, looked simply radiant.

Alicia looked between them both.

"Tonks?" she said whispering to her and Tonks beamed at her

"No!" Alicia gapped at her, a smile spreading through and Tonks nodded. Everyone looked up as Alicia suddenly squealed the most girlyish squeal to ever come from her mouth yet, it was much unbecoming of her as she pulled Tonks into an enormous hug. Tonks was secretly shushing her in her ear.

"Oh I'm sorry." she whispered and she let Lupin drag her away with a grimace.

"What's that about?" Harry asked of her still looking stunned.

"Oh it's a girl thing." she said still radiant.

"Seventeen, eh!" said Hagrid as he accepted a bucket-sized glass of wine from Fred, who had pulled Alicia onto his lap the second the three guests had stopped greeting her. "Six years ter the day since we met, Harry, and Alicia too, though later on. D'yeh remember it?"

"Vaguely," said Harry, grinning up at him. "Didn't you smash down the front door, give Dudley a pig's tail, and tell me I was a wizard?"

"I forge' the details," Hagrid chortled.

"Weren't you supposed to keep that a secret?" Alicia smirked to Harry.

"All righ', Ron, Hermione?"

"We're fine," said Hermione. "How are you?"

"Ar, not bad. Bin busy, we got some newborn unicorns, I'll show yeh when yeh get back —"

"Aww!" Alicia cooed, covering up how Harry, Ron and Hermione avoided one another's gazes and all four of them felt guilty.

Hagrid rummaged in his pocket. "Here, Harry — couldn' think what ter get yeh, but then I remembered this." He pulled out a small, slightly furry drawstring pouch with a long string, evidently intended to be worn around the neck. "Mokeskin. Hide anythin' in there an' no one but the owner can get it out. They're rare, them."

"Sounds like my trunk, it had a spell put on it by Dumbledore so I was the only one who could open it." Alicia smiled.

"Hagrid, thanks!"

" 'S'nothin'," said Hagrid with a wave of a dustbin-lid-sized hand. "You were no better Alicia, couldn' think of a thin'," Hagrid said as he pulled out another object. "Came across this though…"

It was a necklace and Alicia wondered if people had been sick of always giving her books, as now it all seemed to be jewellery. Well, apart for her baby Noel owl which was sitting on the table, chirping and pecking at some food. Hanging from the chain it was a stone, in which a gold wire was intricately twisted around it to hold it in place. The stone itself looked blue, but Alicia noticed as it moved, it changed colour to lighter shades of green.

"It's a Phoenix flint." Hagrid said and Alicia looked at him shocked. "Dumbledore gave it teh me when I went teh the giants. I had it put on a chain for yeh."

"Wow Hagrid." Alicia breathed looking at it. Fred took the chain and, pushing her long black hair over her shoulder, he clipped it around her neck. The golden chain was thin and rather long that the stone bounced rather lowly on her chest and could easily be concealed down her top.

"An' there's Charlie! Always liked him — hey! Charlie!"

Charlie approached, running his hand slightly ruefully over his new, brutally short haircut. Mrs Weasley had attacked it almost the second he'd arrived. He was shorter than Ron, thickset, with a number of burns and scratches up his muscly arms.

"Hi, Hagrid, how's it going?"

"Bin meanin' ter write fer ages. How's Norbert doin'?"

"Norbert?" Charlie laughed. "The Norwegian Ridgeback? We call her Norberta now."

"Wha — Norbert's a girl?"

"Oh yeah," said Charlie.

"How can you tell?" asked Hermione.

"They're a lot more vicious," said Charlie. He looked over his shoulder and dropped his voice. "Wish Dad would hurry up and get here. Mum's getting edgy."

They all looked over at Mrs. Weasley. She was trying to talk to Madame Delacour while glancing repeatedly at the gate.

"I think we'd better start without Arthur," she called to the garden at large after a moment or two. "He must have been held up at — oh!"

They all saw it at the same time: a streak of light that came flying across the yard and onto the table, Alicia's baby Noel chided in surprise and jumped onto Alicia's shoulder, hiding in her hair. The patronus resolved itself into a bright silver weasel, which stood on its hind legs and spoke with Mr. Weasley's voice.

"Minister of Magic coming with me."

The Patronus dissolved into thin air, leaving Fleur's family peering in astonishment at the place where it had vanished.

"We shouldn't be here," said Lupin at once. "Harry — I'm sorry — I'll explain another time —"

"Bye!" Alicia called quickly as he seized Tonks's wrist and pulled her away; they reached the fence, climbed over it, and vanished from sight. Mrs. Weasley looked bewildered.

"The Minister — but why — ? I don't understand —"

But there was no time to discuss the matter; a second later, Mr. Weasley had appeared out of thin air at the gate, accompanied by Rufus Scrimgeour, instantly recognisable by his mane of grizzled hair.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The two newcomers marched across the yard toward the garden and the lantern-lit table, where everybody sat in silence, watching them draw closer. As Scrimgeour came within range of the lantern light, he looked much older than the last time he'd been seen, scraggy and grim.

Alicia and Harry shared a look.

"Sorry to intrude," said Scrimgeour, as he limped to a halt before the table. "Especially as I can see that I am gate-crashing a party."

His eyes lingered for a moment on the giant Snitch cake. "Many happy returns."

"Thanks," said Harry. Alicia didn't say anything, slightly too surprised.

"I require a private word with you," Scrimgeour went on. "Also with Miss Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger."

"Us?" said Ron, sounding surprised. "Why us?"

"I shall tell you that when we are somewhere more private," said Scrimgeour. "Is there such a place?" he demanded of Mr. Weasley.

"Yes, of course," said Mr. Weasley, who looked nervous. "The, er, sitting room, why don't you use that?"

"You can lead the way," Scrimgeour said to Ron. "There will be no need for you to accompany us, Arthur."

Fred seemed inclined to hold onto Alicia as she stood up but she batted his hand away, gave him her tiny owl, and followed, curious and intrigued but also surprised. Usually Scrimgeour beat around the bush but today he seemed all business. Perhaps he didn't want anything then? What could then be the purpose of his visit?

"Don't worry." Alicia said to Fred before she moved with Hermione, Ron and Harry with the man following.

Mr and Mrs Weasley exchanged a worried look as they four went back to the house with the Minister following. Alicia had a fleeting instance of Scrimgeour knowing what they were doing and Harry instantly asked her the silent question too.

 _He can't have… and if he did, wouldn't he have said it when he approached you at Dumbledore's funeral?_ Alicia asked _Unless the Order's been blabbing and I doubt that cause it'd tell Voldemort about it… then we'd really be in trouble._

Scrimgeour did not speak as they all passed through the messy kitchen and into the Burrow's sitting room. Although the garden had been full of soft golden evening light, it was already dark in here: Harry flicked his wand at the oil lamps as he entered and they illuminated the shabby but cozy room. Scrimgeour sat himself in the sagging armchair that Mr. Weasley normally occupied, leaving Harry, Ron, and Hermione to squeeze side by side onto the sofa. Alicia simply sat on it's arm at one end. Once they had done so, Scrimgeour spoke.

"I have some questions for the three of you, and I think it will be best if we do it individually. If you three" — he pointed at Harry, Alicia and Hermione — "can wait upstairs, I will start with Ronald."

"I don't see any need for that." Alicia said watching him. "The four of us hide very little from one another and we'd just tell each other what you spoke about anyway." the other three had looked at her as Scrimgeour had and Harry was in full agreement.

"We're not going anywhere," said Harry, while Hermione nodded vigorously. "You can speak to us together, or not at all."

Scrimgeour gave Harry a cold, appraising look. The Minister seemed to be debating whether it was worthwhile opening hostilities this early.

"Very well then, together," he said, shrugging. He cleared his throat. "I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another and then to Alicia as if expected her to know but she looked alarmed as well as she stared at Scrimgeour. It vanished soon… because perhaps he had made arrangements for something to help them out in their journey, after all, he's left them little when she thought about it.

"A surprise, apparently! You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?"

"A-all of us?" said Ron. "Me and Hermione too?"

"Yes, all of —"

But Harry interrupted.

"Dumbledore died over a month ago. Why has it taken this long to give us what he left us?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Hermione, before Scrimgeour could answer. "They wanted to examine whatever he's left us. You had no right to do that!" she said, and her voice trembled slightly.

"I had every right," said Scrimgeour dismissively. "The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power to confiscate the contents of a will —"

"I'm sorry did you have evidence that we were being passed dark and dangerous objects?" Alicia demanded instantly, cutting him off and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"That law was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artefacts," said Hermione, "and the Ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the deceased's possessions are illegal before seizing them! Are you telling me that you thought Dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed?"

"Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?" asked Scrimgeour.

"No, I'm not," retorted Hermione. "I'm hoping to do some good in the world!"

Ron laughed. Scrimgeour's eyes flickered toward him and away again as Harry spoke.

"So why have you decided to let us have our things now? Can't think of a pretext to keep them?"

"No, it'll be because the thirty-one days are up," said Hermione at once. "They can't keep the objects longer than that unless they can prove they're dangerous. Right?"

"Dumbledore is obviously not going to leave four seventeen year olds anything deadly. Honestly." Alicia said annoyed.

"Would you say you were close to Dumbledore, Ronald?" asked Scrimgeour, ignoring Alicia and Hermione. Ron looked startled.

"Me? Not — not really… It was always Harry and Alicia who…"

Ron looked around at the other three and both girls were giving him a look that said he needed to shut up. Unfortunately though, the damage was done: Scrimgeour looked as though he had heard exactly what he had expected, and wanted, to hear. He swooped like a bird of prey upon Ron's answer.

"If you were not very close to Dumbledore, how do you account for the fact that he remembered you in his will? He made exceptionally few personal bequests. The vast majority of his possessions — his private library, his magical instruments, and other personal effects — were left to Hogwarts. Why do you think you were singled out?"

"I… dunno," said Ron. "I… when I say we weren't close… I mean, I think he liked me…"

"You're being modest, Ron," said Hermione. "Dumbledore was very fond of you."

"Dumbledore trusted Ron." Alicia said "He believed him reliable, trustworthy and a rather good example of everything Dumbledore himself stood for." Scrimgeour looked at her "And such a relationship is none of your business." she hissed acidly "It doesn't matter why Dumbledore left Ron anything, you will pass over what is rightfully his!"

Harry, Hermione and Ron looked at her surprised for both her words and her hostility, but Alicia's tolerance was very low for the man before them and he was pressing her kindness.

Scrimgeour said nothing in return.

He put his hand inside his cloak and drew out a drawstring pouch much larger than the one Hagrid had given Harry. From it, he removed a scroll of parchment which he unrolled and read aloud.

"' _The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_ _'_ … Yes, here we are… _'_ _To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it._ _'_ "

Scrimgeour took from the bag an object that looked something like a silver cigarette lighter, but it had the power to suck all light from a place, and restore it, with a simple click. Scrimgeour leaned forward and passed the Deluminator to Ron, who took it and turned it over in his fingers, looking stunned.

"That is a valuable object," said Scrimgeour, watching Ron. "It may even be unique. Certainly it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare?"

Ron shook his head, looking bewildered.

"Dumbledore must have taught thousands of students," Scrimgeour persevered. "Yet the only ones he remembered in his will are you four. Why is that? To what use did he think you would put his Deluminator, Mr. Weasley?"

"Put out lights, I s'pose," mumbled Ron. "What else could I do with it?"

Evidently Scrimgeour had no suggestions. After squinting at Ron for a moment or two, he turned back to Dumbledore's will.

" ' _To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of_ The Tales of Beedle the Bard, _in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive._ _'_ "

Scrimgeour now pulled out of the bag a small book that looked as ancient as the copy of _Secrets of the Darkest Art_ upstairs. Its binding was stained and peeling in places. Hermione took it from Scrimgeour without a word. She held the book in her lap and gazed at it. The cover held the title in which was written in runes. Hermione let a tear fall onto the symbols as she looked at it.

"Why do you think Dumbledore left you that book, Miss Granger?" asked Scrimgeour.

"He… he knew I liked books," said Hermione in a thick voice, mopping her eyes with her sleeve.

"But why that particular book?"

"I don't know. He must have thought I'd enjoy it."

"Did you ever discuss codes, or any means of passing secret messages, with Dumbledore?"

"Oh for god's sake." Alicia snapped

"No, I didn't," said Hermione, still wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "And if the Ministry hasn't found any hidden codes in this book in thirty-one days, I doubt that I will."

She suppressed a sob. They were wedged together so tightly that Ron had difficulty extracting his arm to put it around Hermione's shoulders. Scrimgeour turned back to the will.

" ' _To Alicia Lily Potter,'_ " Alicia looked at him waiting " _'I leave an object in which she had taken much fascination to and believed would be useful for her needs. I leave it to her for when she needs to look back upon what is important, and hope the past may guide her for the future. Her own Pensieve.'_ " Alicia stared with absolute overwhelming excitement and shock as Scrimgeour, much more gently than with the other two gifts, pulled out a stone basin with a glass top in order to hold in the silver, smoky liquid that was swirling within it. It held runes all along the basin and was smaller than the one Dumbledore had in his office, in which Harry and Alicia dove into so many times last year alone.

Alicia took it from the Minister with the utmost care as she looked down at it, the other three were also looking with amazement.

"Why would he—"

"He already expressed why he left it to me." Alicia cut him off "But if you must know, in our forth year when I'd first seen of the pensieve Dumbledore had, I had deeply expressed how I'd like one. He told me he used it for when he had too many thoughts and memories crammed into his mind. I to experience such things and last year told him again how I'd rather think one would be useful." She looked at him. "He gave it to me, cause I wanted one." she said in simpler terms as if talking to a baby who didn't understand, leaning slightly forwards before she straightened up, glaring at the minister.

This seemed enough for the grizzly maned man for he turned back to the will.

" ' _To Harry James Potter,_ _'_ " he read, " _'_ _I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill._ _'_ "

As Scrimgeour pulled out the tiny, walnut-sized golden ball, its silver wings fluttered rather feebly

"Why did Dumbledore leave you this Snitch?" asked Scrimgeour.

"No idea," said Harry. "For the reasons you just read out, I suppose… to remind me what you can get if you… persevere and whatever it was."

"You think this a mere symbolic keepsake, then?"

"I suppose so," said Harry. "What else could it be?"

"I'm asking the questions," said Scrimgeour, shifting his chair a little closer to the sofa. Dusk was really falling outside now; the marquee beyond the windows towered ghostly white over the hedge.

"I notice that your birthday cake is in the shape of a Snitch," Scrimgeour said to Harry. "Why is that?"

Hermione laughed derisively while Alicia looked at Scrimgeour like he was stupid, which she increasingly believed he was.

"Why on earth are you Minister of Magic?" she questioned, earning a startled look from Ron at the question.

Hermione spoke to cover up her insult however.

"Oh, it can't be a reference to the fact Harry's a great Seeker, that's way too obvious," she said. "There must be a secret message from Dumbledore hidden in the icing!"

"I don't think there's anything hidden in the icing," said Scrimgeour, "but a Snitch would be a very good hiding place for a small object. You know why, I'm sure?"

Harry shrugged.

"Right because of their flesh memories." Alicia said with a roll of her eyes.

It seemed Harry and Ron had not at all understood what she'd said.

"What?" said Harry and Ron together.

"Correct," said Scrimgeour. "A Snitch is not touched by bare skin before it is released, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture. This Snitch" — he held up the tiny golden ball — "will remember your touch, Potter. It occurs to me that Dumbledore, who had prodigious magical skill, whatever his other faults, might have enchanted this Snitch so that it will open only for you."

Alicia rose an eyebrow… Dumbledore likely knew this would happen to the belongings in his will, and if that was the case, he wouldn't want it opening in front of the Minister of Magic, who he did not like the ideals of…

"You don't say anything," said Scrimgeour. "Perhaps you already know what the Snitch contains?"

"No," said Harry.

 _Take it._ Alicia instructed and Harry turned his chin ever so slightly towards her before catching himself.

 _I don't want to in front of him._

 _But Dumbledore would have guessed this would happen, he'll have been cleaver about it. I don't think it'll open when you first touch it, as it would have been given to you by a Ministry offical._ she explained confidently. _Besides, you didn't touch your first snitch with your fingers._ she said, licking her lips to hold back her grin.

And so, Harry held out his hand and Scrimgeour leaned forward again and placed the Snitch, slowly and deliberately, into Harry's palm.

Nothing happened. As Harry's fingers closed around the Snitch, its tired wings fluttered and were still. Scrimgeour, Ron, and Hermione continued to gaze avidly at the now partially concealed ball, as if still hoping it might transform in some way.

"That was dramatic," said Harry coolly. Both Ron and Hermione laughed.

"Show's how well you know Dumbledore I guess." Alicia smiled. "He wouldn't have done as you believe, hidden something in it for Harry to open, just so you could see it when he first touched it. It's likely just a reminder, a symbolic keepsake." she said to Scrimgeour.

"That's all, then, is it?" asked Hermione, making to prise herself off the sofa.

"Not quite," said Scrimgeour, who looked bad-tempered now. "Dumbledore left you a second bequest, Potter."

"What is it?" asked Harry, excitement rekindling. Scrimgeour did not bother to read from the will this time.

"The sword of Godric Gryffindor," he said.

Hermione and Ron both stiffened and Alicia looked confused. Why on earth, would he have left Harry a sword? How could that have helped in the slightest?

Harry, it seemed, was looking around to try and find the ruby encrusted sword, waiting to be given it.

"So where is it?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Unfortunately," said Scrimgeour, "that sword was not Dumbledore's to give away."

 _In which case the four of us only have to be worthy and it'll show up._ Alicia believed. Whether Scrimgeour gave it to them or not.

"The sword of Godric Gryffindor is an important historical artefact, and as such, belongs —"

"It belongs to Harry!" said Hermione hotly. "It chose him, he was the one who found it, it came to him out of the Sorting Hat —"

"According to reliable historical sources, the sword may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor," said Scrimgeour. "That does not make it the exclusive property of Mr. Potter, whatever Dumbledore may have decided." Scrimgeour scratched his badly shaven cheek, scrutinising Harry. "Why do you think — ?"

"— Dumbledore wanted to give me the sword?" said Harry, struggling to keep his temper. "Maybe he thought it would look nice on my wall."

"This is not a joke, Potter!" growled Scrimgeour. "Was it because Dumbledore believed that only the sword of Godric Gryffindor could defeat the Heir of Slytherin? Did he wish to give you that sword, Potter, because he believed, as do many, that you are the one destined to destroy He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Alicia burst out laughing and everyone turned to her.

"You really are stupid. A sword, defeat Voldemort? What? Did someone give you that idea or did you make it up yourself?" she said through her laughs. "It doesn't matter how historical it is, the sword is just a sword and cannot go up against a wizard, it'd be like a human running at him."

"I dunno Alicia, maybe the Ministry should put some people onto that, instead of wasting their time stripping down Deluminators or covering up breakouts from Azkaban." Harry turned back to the Minister. "So is this what you've been doing, Minister, shut up in your office, trying to break open a Snitch? People are dying — I was nearly one of them — Voldemort chased me across three counties, he killed Mad-Eye Moody, but there's been no word about any of that from the Ministry, has there? And you still expect us to cooperate with you!"

"You go too far!" shouted Scrimgeour, standing up; Harry jumped to his feet too. Scrimgeour limped toward Harry and jabbed him hard in the chest with the point of his wand: It singed a hole in Harry's T-shirt like a lit cigarette.

"Oi!" said Ron, jumping up and raising his own wand, but Harry said,

"No! D'you want to give him an excuse to arrest us?"

"I'm thinking about it." Alicia said, still in her seat. "At this moment however Harry you have three witnesses of the Minister of Magic threatening a seventeen year old. Because of a few words he spoke. I think that'd classify as unprovoked, don't you Hermione?" Alicia said.

The Minister looked at her while Hermione looked worried.

"You can't just get detention Minister, you'll loose your job for threatening The Chosen One." Alicia said, looking up at him. He turned from her to Harry and Alicia stood up beside Ron, pushing his wand down to his side.

"You may wear that scar like a crown, Potter, but it is not up to a seventeen-year-old boy to tell me how to do my job! It's time you learned some respect!" Scrimgeour said.

"It's time you earned it," said Harry.

"You need to get your nose out of other people's business, and deal with the real crisis on hand." Alicia said "Maybe then, no one would be able to criticise you. It seems, Harry isn't the only one who doubts you, for you have seriously just overreacted. Minister." he stared at her as he breathed hard as did Hermione, Harry and Ron.

The floor trembled; there was a sound of running footsteps, then the door to the sitting room burst open and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley ran in.

"We — we thought we heard —" began Mr. Weasley, looking thoroughly alarmed at the sight of Harry and the Minister virtually nose to nose, Scrimgeour's wand still pointing at Harry's chest.

"— raised voices," panted Mrs. Weasley.

Scrimgeour lowered his wand took a couple of steps back from Harry, glancing at the hole he had made in Harry's T-shirt. He seemed to regret his loss of temper.

"It — it was nothing," he growled. "I… regret your attitude," he said, looking Harry full in the face once more. "You seem to think that the Ministry does not desire what you — what Dumbledore — desired. We ought to be working together."

"I don't like your methods, Minister," said Harry. "Remember?"

For the second time, he raised his right fist and displayed to Scrimgeour the scars that still showed white on the back of it, spelling _I must not tell lies._

"Perhaps when you learn to listen to others instead of inflating your own head with the belief you don't need any advice from anyone, that'll change." Alicia said, her own hand itching at the reminder that sat there.

Scrimgeour's expression hardened. He turned away without another word and limped from the room. Mrs. Weasley hurried after him; Harry heard her stop at the back door. After a minute or so she called, "He's gone!"

"What did he want?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking around at Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione as Mrs. Weasley came hurrying back to them.

"To give us what Dumbledore left us," said Harry. "They've only just released the contents of his will."

Outside in the garden, over the dinner tables, the three objects Scrimgeour had given Harry, Hermione and Ron were passed from hand to hand. Alicia had put her Pensieve upstairs and carefully into her bag, not allowing it to be passed around the table like everything else, though the twins had tried to convince her.

"Do you have any idea how fragile, rare and important it is to me?" she'd responded with.

No one argued after that.

Everyone exclaimed over the Deluminator and _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ and lamented the fact that Scrimgeour had refused to pass on the sword, but none of them could offer any suggestion as to why Dumbledore would have left Harry an old Snitch.

As Mr. Weasley examined the Deluminator for the third or fourth time, Mrs. Weasley said tentatively, "Harry, dear, Alicia, everyone's awfully hungry, we didn't like to start without you… Shall I serve dinner now?"

"Oh absolutely." Alicia said surprised.

They all ate rather hurriedly and then, after a hasty chorus of "Happy Birthday" and much gulping of cake, the party broke up. Hagrid, who was invited to the wedding the following day, but was far too bulky to sleep in the overstretched Burrow, left to set up a tent for himself in a neighbouring field.

"Meet us upstairs," Harry whispered to Hermione and Alicia, while they helped Mrs. Weasley restore the garden to its normal state. "After everyone's gone to bed."

Alicia and Hermione went to bed with Ginny and waited round for a while until she dozed off. They moved upstairs, both holding their small bags that contained way too much then they should be able to hold, , Alicia's little owl on her shoulder again, and to Ron's room. They arrived to find Ron examining his Deluminator and Harry lying down watching his the old Snitch, its wings flutter feebly.

" _Muffliato,_ " Hermione whispered, waving her wand in the direction of the stairs.

"Thought you didn't approve of that spell?" said Ron.

"Times change," said Hermione. "Now, show us that Deluminator."

Ron obliged at once. Holding it up in front of him, he clicked it. The solitary lamp they had lit went out at once.

"The thing is," whispered Hermione through the dark, "we could have achieved that with Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder."

"Yeah, but that runs out, this doesn't." Alicia pointed out.

There was a small _click,_ and the ball of light from the lamp flew back to the ceiling and illuminated them all once more.

"Still, it's cool," said Ron, a little defensively. "And from what they said, Dumbledore invented it himself!"

"I know, but surely he wouldn't have singled you out in his will just to help us turn out the lights!"

"D'you think he knew the Ministry would confiscate his will and examine everything he'd left us?" asked Harry.

"Definitely," said the two girls.

"Just like he'd know not to make the Snitch open to your fingertips." Alicia said thinking.

"He couldn't tell us in the will why he was leaving us these things, but that still doesn't explain…"

"…why he couldn't have given us a hint when he was alive?" asked Ron.

"Well, exactly," said Hermione, now flicking through _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._ "If these things are important enough to pass on right under the nose of the Ministry, you'd think he'd have let us know why… unless he thought it was obvious?"

"Thought wrong, then, didn't he?" said Ron. "I always said he was mental. Brilliant and everything, but cracked. The only easy one is Alicia's." she rose an eyebrow at him.

"Well we all know how you are with pricing information together." Ron said

"So I'm supposed to know something I haven't figured out yet that's supposed to help?" Alicia said "Sounds very easy." she nodded before rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I think Dumbledore knew I was gonna take these." she reached into her bag and pulled out another, in it were a heap of phials, all tied together.

"What are those?" Harry asked

"All the memories of Voldemort Dumbledore showed us." Alicia said watching them twinkle in the low light.

"Alicia summoned them after I summoned the Horcrux books." Hermione admitted as the boys looked at her shocked.

"He collected them all back up again. Honestly I thought it rather pointless, we couldn't watch them after all. But at the same time I believed we shouldn't leave them lying around for someone else to watch and therefore work out what's happening, especially as Hogwarts is not as safe. It was more a precaution than informative." she said. She grinned brightly "Now it's both!"

"See, your gift's easy." Ron said "But leaving Harry an old Snitch — what the hell was that about?"

"I've no idea," said Hermione. "When Scrimgeour made you take it, Harry, I was so sure that something was going to happen!"

"Yeah, well," said Harry, his pulse quickening as he raised the Snitch in his fingers. "I wasn't going to try too hard in front of Scrimgeour, was I?"

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"The Snitch I caught in my first ever Quidditch match?" said Harry. "Don't you remember?"

"He didn't catch it with his hand." Alicia smiled.

Hermione looked simply bemused. Ron, however, gasped, pointing frantically from Harry to the Snitch and back again until he found his voice.

"That was the one you nearly swallowed!"

"Exactly," said Harry, and with his heart beating fast, he pressed his mouth to the Snitch.

It did not open. He lowered the golden sphere looking frustrated and disappointed but in the dim light Alicia and Hermione had spotted something.

"Writing! There's writing on it, quick, look!" Hermione cried out.

Harry nearly dropped the Snitch in surprise and excitement. Hermione was quite right. Engraved upon the smooth golden surface, where seconds before there had been nothing, were five words written in the thin, slanting handwriting of Dumbledore:

 _I open at the close._

He had barely read them when the words vanished again.

" 'I open at the close…' What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione and Ron shook their heads, looking blank.

"I open at the close… at the _close…_ I open at the close…"

Alicia watched as the three repeated it a few times.

"Well it all depends on what the close is." she said and they looked at her. "A close is like the end right?" she said "So it could be the end of the horcruxes, or the end of Voldemort…" she paused and a sad look appeared on her face as she thought about the end of Voldemort. "The very end…" she mumbled, Hermione watched her but the boys didn't seem to register her words.

"And the sword," said Ron finally, when they had at last abandoned their attempts to divine meaning in the Snitch's inscription. "Why did he want Harry to have the sword?"

"And why couldn't he just have told me?" Harry said quietly. "It was _there,_ it was right there on the wall of his office during all our talks last year! If he wanted me to have it, why didn't he just give it to me then?"

"And how would you look walking about with the sword of Gryffindor, and how would you get out of the castle with it?" Alicia asked annoyed. "He couldn't just give it to you, any more than he could just tell us what all the gifts are about."

"Well Alicia, why'd he leave me the sword?" Harry asked her, slightly annoyed she was right.

"I dunno yet." she said curiously with little frustration. "But I can look back and not over look anything, so I'll work it out." she grinned.

"You're the only one so ecstatic about their gift." Ron said

"You said the Deluminator was cool?" Alicia reminded him

"Well it is… but, still confusing." Alicia rolled her eyes.

"And as for this book," said Hermione, " _The Tales of Beedle the Bard…_ I've never even heard of them!"

"You've never heard of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_?" said Ron incredulously. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not!" said Hermione in surprise. "Do you know them, then?"

"Well, of course I do!"

"You've read a book we haven't?" Alicia asked him looking surprised. Ron, however, looked bemused by their surprise.

"Oh come on! All the old kids' stories are supposed to be Beedle's, aren't they? 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune'…'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot'… 'Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump'…"

"Excuse me?" said Hermione, giggling. "What was that last one?

"Wait, they're kids's stories?" Alicia asked looking at Ron. "Well no wonder we haven't read it, we always went more advanced than that." she said to Hermione who giggled again.

"Come off it!" said Ron, looking in disbelief from Harry to Hermione. "You must've heard of Babbitty Rabbitty —"

"Ron, you know full well Harry, Alicia and I were brought up by Muggles!" said Hermione. "We didn't hear stories like that when we were little, we heard 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'Cinderella' —"

"What's that, an illness?" asked Ron.

"Most of them are princess stories." Alicia admitted "Personally I always liked 'The Tales of Peter Rabbit'." she smiled

"So these are children's stories?" asked Hermione, bending again over the runes.

"Yeah," said Ron uncertainly, "I mean, that's just what you hear, you know, that all these old stories came from Beedle. I dunno what they're like in the original versions."

"But I wonder why Dumbledore thought I should read them?"

Something creaked downstairs.

"Probably just Charlie, now Mum's asleep, sneaking off to regrow his hair," said Ron nervously.

Alicia snickered. "Your mum'll kill him."

"All the same, we should get to bed," whispered Hermione. "It wouldn't do to oversleep tomorrow."

"No," agreed Ron. "A brutal quadruple murder by the bridegroom's mother might put a bit of a damper on the wedding. I'll get the lights."

And he clicked the Deluminator once more as Alicia and Hermione left the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Mrs Weasley was running around everywhere the next day and seemed a little too busy to be too bossy. She didn't seem to settle down until about three o'clock, though she did have a tearful moment over Percy missing the wedding.

Come time for the household to be getting ready, Ginny was dragged off with Gabrielle for them to be dressed appropriately as bridesmaids while Alicia and Hermione stood in Ginny's room, Alicia's wand in her hand.

She ran the tip down her black hair and it turned fiery red, not much different to Ginny's, the colour spreading down from the roots. She paused momentarily to stare at her mother, who stared back from the reflection before raising her wand again. She tapped her eyebrows and they lightened considerably too from their black, before she tapped her nose which changed slightly, her lips, their shape becoming more like Ginny's. She changed the lining of her chin and ran her wand over her nose to cover it with freckles.

"Now comes the tricky bit." Alicia said to Hermione. The girl was standing beside her with her own wand in her hand and looking anxious.

Alicia looked at herself in the mirror, raising her wand directly in front of her nose, and staring at her eyes.

The green darkened considerably until they were brown.

Alicia didn't move for a moment, as though waiting for an after effect before she stepped slightly back from the mirror. Hermione looked her over as though appraising her.

"That must be good enough, I can't see a single spec of my mother in the mirror anymore." she frowned.

"It is better this way, your dress robes will still fit you if you don't change your body."

"So true." Alicia agreed.

The two girls proceeded to get dressed and did one another's hair, Alicia slicking back Hermione's as she had once done in their fourth year for the Yule Ball, before Alicia clipped all her jewellery back on, as they all matched and corresponded with her dress robes.

There was chatter outside and the two girls peered out Ginny's window to see the marquee filling with people. Ron, Fred and George were seen running back and forth, disappearing into the tent for moments and then returning, along with one other red-haired boy. Unlike Alicia who didn't want to waste the polyjuice potion and had just transfigured herself, Harry was the double of muggle boy from the local village, Ottery St. Catchpole. Fred had done a summoning charm on his hairs and Harry was now Cousin Barny.

"What name am I going under?" Alicia asked

"Mrs Weasley said you were to be Cousin Lucy."

"I think I can live with that." she smiled.

When they were done, Hermione was addressing her beaded bag with much vigour.

"I think we should add Harry's rucksack to one." Alicia said and Hermione turned to her "What with people coming into The Burrow and all, it might be best…" she mumbled, picking up her own bag that matched her robes.

The two girls had spent a bit of time organising their things. Both bags had undetectable extension charms on them and they'd categorised things between them. Alicia had put a protection charm around her pensieve and her two-way mirror as they were put in the bag, just in case, and had her and Hermione's clothes added to it while Hermione had the boys'. Hermione had all the books she thought they needed and Alicia had all their extra ones. The polyjuice potion was in Hermione's, both had a range of potion ingredients and medicinal appliances, Hermione had a heap of muggle medical supplies such as antiseptics and bandages. They had towels and even added a few pillows along with bathroom utensils including shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes and paste. Not to mention Alicia had nicked a bit of food which she'd casted a tricky little spell on to keep them lasting longer. She also had three brooms in her bag, her's, Harry's which had remained there since Privet Drive, and she'd gone and grabbed Ron's from the broom shed outside.

"Just incase." she'd told Hermione when she questioned it. Hermione also had a tent in her's along with sleeping bags incase they ended up out in the country.

"We should probably hurry up." Alicia said and Hermione agreed.

They pulled on their shoes, the heels having been left till last, and then proceeded out of the room.

The two girls moved up the stairs, peering into Percy's room were Fleur, Gabrielle and Ginny were with Madam Delacour and Mrs Weasley. Another women was in the room as well. An elderly witch. Her beaky nose, red-rimmed eyes, and feathery pink hat gave her the look of a bad-tempered flamingo.

Ginny watched wearily as the old women turned to the two girls, while the two women continued to fuss over the three. Ginny and Gabrielle were wearing matching golden dresses for their Bridesmaid outfits and both looked gorgeous. Fleur had a simple white dress and already she seemed to be glowing. The unknown women had clearly been giving instructions to the tiara sitting on top of Fleur's head as if the girl didn't know how to wear one properly and had now turned to the two newcomers.

"Oh dear, is this the Muggle-born?"

"Hermione Granger." Hermione introduced herself, her hand out. The women didn't seem to care.

"You've got rather bad posture and skinny ankles." she said. Ginny rolled her eyes as the women turned to Alicia.

"Another Weasley?"

"Cousin, yes, Lucy." Alicia said not bothering to hold her hand out.

"You remind me of Ginevra."

"Well that's what happens when you're related to someone." Alicia said. Ginny had to suppress her laughter, her hand over her mouth, while Hermione looked at her shocked.

"Er… and you are?" Hermione asked trying to cover up Alicia's bluntness

"Muriel. I was just instructing the bride on the best way to wear my tiara," Fleur didn't look rather happy at this but said nothing "It's goblin made, been in the family for generations."

"Well don't let us hold you then." and Alicia grabbed Hermione to pull her away.

"What an old bat." she said when they were away from the women and climbing some more for Ron's room. "Didn't even compliment my dress. How rude." the smirked and the girls giggled.

They moved around Ron's room, grabbing things and adding them to the bags before they set back off down the stairs.

Ron and Harry, disguised with red curly hair, were standing at the the entrance of the Marquee were noises of chatter were coming out from.

"Wow," Ron noticed the two girls first and was blinking rather rapidly as he looked at Hermione. "You look great!"

"Always the tone of surprise," said Hermione, though she smiled. She was wearing a floaty, lilac-coloured dress with matching high heels; her hair was sleek and shiny. "Your Great-Aunt Muriel doesn't agree, I just met her upstairs while she was giving Fleur the tiara. She said, 'Oh dear, is this the Muggle-born?' and then, 'Bad posture and skinny ankles.'"

"Who's hair did you take?" Harry asked her

"I didn't, I just transfigured. I can't take polyjuice potion, my robes wont fit." she said shrugging and the two boys rolled their eyes.

"Don't take it personally, she's rude to everyone," said Ron turning back to Hermione.

"Talking about Muriel?" inquired George, reemerging from the marquee with Fred. "Yeah, she's just told me my ears are lopsided. Old bat."

"I gotta say I miss the green eyes." Fred said to Alicia

"You can't just compliment me all the same?" she asked. He grinned and took her hand, kissing the ring there.

"You two are supposed to be cousins." Hermione hissed at them

"Not like we're making out." Alicia said rolling her eyes.

"I wish old Uncle Bilius was still with us, though; he was a right laugh at weddings." George said as he looked into the marquee.

"Wasn't he the one who saw a Grim and died twenty-four hours later?" asked Hermione.

"Well, yeah, he went a bit odd toward the end," conceded George.

"But before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party," said Fred. "He used to down an entire bottle of firewhisky, then run onto the dance floor, hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his —"

"Yes, he sounds a real charmer," said Hermione, while Harry roared with laughter.

"Now we know were these two get it." Alicia said pointing to the twins who grinned proudly as Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Never married, for some reason," said Ron.

"You amaze me," said Hermione.

"Alicia, Fred was saying that when he got married he wouldn't bother with this." Harry said, looking smug, and Fred shot him a look before grinning at her

"Yeah, body bind curse on mum and everyone can wear what they like." he said and he watched her as she hummed, thinking.

"Let's do it on the beach then, no shoes, some nice dresses and you boys can all wear shorts with a shirt. Elegant and sophisticated." she said nodding

Fred scooped her up and this time he did kiss her properly.

"Hey! Guys!" Hermione said as she shoved them out of the opening of the marquee. Ron, George and Harry were laughing at them as the two released one another.

"Maybe I should've put it on the other finger." he grinned at her

"Not like you still can't." Alicia shrugged.

None of them noticed the latecomer, a dark-haired young man with a large, curved nose and thick black eyebrows, until he held out his invitation to Ron and said, with his eyes on Hermione, "You look vunderful."

"Viktor!" she shrieked, and dropped her small beaded bag, which made a loud thump quite disproportionate to its size. Alicia winced, eternally grateful her pensieve wasn't in it. As she scrambled, blushing, to pick it up, she said, "I didn't know you were — goodness — it's lovely to see — how are you?"

Ron's ears had turned bright red again. After glancing at Krum's invitation as if he did not believe a word of it, he said, much too loudly, "How come you're here?"

"Fleur invited me," said Krum, eyebrows raised.

Harry, who had no grudge against Krum, shook hands and then offered to show him his seat. Probably smart he wasn't in Ron's vicinity for long.

"It's almost time, come on." Fred said grinning, taking Alicia's hand. They, Hermione, Ron and George all hurried inside and over to Harry. Many people were craning their necks to get a look at the famous Quidditch player.

"Time to sit down," Fred told Harry, "or we're going to get run over by the bride."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione took their seats in the second row behind Alicia, Fred and George. Hermione looked rather pink and Ron's ears were still scarlet.

A sense of jittery anticipation had filled the warm tent, the general murmuring broken by occasional spurts of excited laughter. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley strolled up the aisle, smiling and waving at relatives; Mrs. Weasley was wearing a brand-new set of amethyst-coloured robes with a matching hat.

A moment later Bill and Charlie stood up at the front of the marquee, both wearing dress robes, with large white roses in their buttonholes; Fred wolf-whistled and there was an outbreak of giggling from the veela cousins. Alicia rose an eyebrow and if sensing this Fred took her hand to enlace their fingers together. Then the crowd fell silent as music swelled from what seemed to be the golden balloons.

"Ooooh!" said Hermione, swivelling around in her seat to look at the entrance.

A great collective sigh issued from the assembled witches and wizards as Monsieur Delacour and Fleur came walking up the aisle, Fleur gliding, Monsieur Delacour bouncing and beaming. While her radiance usually dimmed everyone else by comparison, today it beautified everybody it fell upon. Once Fleur had reached him, Bill did not look as though he had ever met Fenrir Greyback.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said a slightly singsong voice, looking at the tufty-haired wizard Alicia noticed him as the one who had presided at Dumbledore's funeral.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls…"

"Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely," said Auntie Muriel in a rather carrying whisper. "But I must say, Ginevra's dress is far too low cut."

Ginny glanced around, grinning, winked at Harry, then quickly faced the front again.

"Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle…?"

In the front row, Mrs. Weasley and Madame Delacour were both sobbing quietly into scraps of lace. Trumpetlike sounds from the back of the marquee told everyone that Hagrid had taken out one of his own tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs.

"… then I declare you bonded for life."

The tufty-haired wizard waved his wand high over the heads of Bill and Fleur and a shower of silver stars fell upon them, spiralling around their now entwined figures. As Fred and George led a round of applause, the golden balloons overhead burst: Birds of paradise and tiny golden bells flew and floated out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" called the tufty-haired wizard. "If you would please stand up!"

They all did so, Auntie Muriel grumbling audibly; he waved his wand again. The seats on which they had been sitting rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the marquee vanished, so that they stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the centre of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor; the hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothed tables, which all floated gracefully back to earth around it, and the golden-jacketed band trooped toward a podium.

"Smooth," said Ron approvingly as the waiters popped up on all sides, some bearing silver trays of pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and firewhisky, others tottering piles of tarts and sandwiches.

The Bride and Groom were completely surrounded by people as others moved off to take a table around the marquee. The band had begun to play. Bill and Fleur took to the dance floor first, to great applause

"Me Lady?" Fred held his hand out and Alicia took it gladly before he spun her onto the golden dance floor next. After a while, Mr. Weasley led Madame Delacour onto the floor, followed by Mrs. Weasley and Fleur's father.

After a while, Luna, wearing sunshine yellow robes and a giant sunflower in her hair, appearing on the floor by herself, revolving on the spot, quite alone, eyes closed and waving her arms.

Not long after her, Hermione and Ron appeared as well.

The night continued with more and more vigour.

When Fleur and Bill cut their cake, the two modelled phoenixes on top took flight, the bottles of champagne floated unsupported through the crowd, the birds continued to fly around the tent, the band cutting out the sound of the bells that had once joined them.

As evening drew in, and moths began to swoop under the canopy, now lit with floating golden lanterns, the revelry became more and more uncontained. Alicia and Fred had not parted the entire night, to which no one bothered to question. George vanished with some of Fleur's veela cousins; Charlie, Hagrid, and a squat wizard in a purple porkpie hat were singing "Odo the Hero" in a corner.

"Drink my dear?" Fred asked Alicia, bowing to her

"Why yes, good sir." she grinned and he totted off to get her one. She moved from the dance floor and out of people's way as she waited

"Just like your father, a wiz at transfiguration." the girl turned to find Lupin sitting at the table.

"Guess being with Fred gives it away." she smirked

"Not that it matters." Lupin looked rather gloomy and was watching Tonks, dancing with Mr Weasley.

Alicia sighed and sat opposite Lupin.

"Remus, you wanna tell me what's bugging you, you're looking awfully wrong for all that's happening?" Lupin looked at her slightly surprised to be addressed by his first name and Alicia wondered if she had reminded him of her mother, despite the transfiguration.

"It's not right… I can't believe what I did…" he muttered and Alicia looked back at Tonks who he was watching.

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded and Lupin looked at her. "You're supposed to be overjoyed."

"Overjoyed!" He only just managed to hush his shout and there was a lot of strain in his voice. "This is terrible!"

"How?!" she snapped in anger.

"Can you imagine what it'd be like, given my condition! This doesn't happen! What if—"

"You have no idea what'll happen Remus, it might be perfectly fine, how dare you sit here scornfully while Tonks is absolutely radiant! You're supposed to be supporting her not sitting here cowering to yourself!" Lupin stared at her wide eyed. "Honestly, you're acting like a paranoid child! Innocent until proven guilty, there's a fifty-fifty chance you're right and a fifty-fifty chance you're wrong. Personally it'd do you and Tonks much better if you decided to be hopeful instead!" She stood up.

"And if that's not enough for you then think of it this way," Alicia leaned down for the man.

"Fenrir Greyback wants an army, don't you think this way would be easy if he knew that was possible? Perhaps he knows it doesn't work that way!" and she stormed off to find Fred, leaving Lupin flabbergasted.

Alicia found Harry, sitting with Muriel and a man she recognised instantly from the Daily Prophet, Elphias Doge.

"Hey." she smiled sitting down. But Harry looked shocked and torn, as though broken. "H-Barny…!" he didn't answer.

Hermione come from the crowd then and sat beside Alicia, drawing up a chair.

"I simply can't dance anymore," she panted, slipping off one of her shoes and rubbing the sole of her foot.

"Ron's gone looking to find more butterbeers. It's a bit odd, I've just seen Viktor storming away from Luna's father, it looked like they'd been arguing —" She dropped her voice, staring at him. "Harry, are you okay?"

Alicia however had gotten to her feet in worry.

At that moment, something large and silver came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze absurdly in mid-dance. Then the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

" _The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming_."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Harry and Hermione jumped to their feet and drew their wands but Alicia had thrown herself across the room and left them, her own wand in her hand as she was the only person to move for a moment. She went straight for Fred, not quite knowing how she knew where he was, and wove her wand for the two glasses in his hands to vanish. He opened his arms to catch her, as if expecting it, as Alicia threw herself into them.

"I can't stay." she whispered "Call me?"

He pulled her forwards and kissed her fiercely and Alicia welcome it. Around them someone screamed and panic erupted amongst all the guests. Alicia didn't care, she felt as though she might never see Fred again and her eyes pricked with tears.

They broke and she stared at him helplessly.

"I love you."

She stared at him wide eyed as people were disapparating all around them.

"Promise you're not just saying that cause of the situation." she whispered

"Promise." he responded, brushing her hair

"I'll await that ring." she said and he chucked before she looked at him deeply. "I love you." he nodded

"Good luck."

"Be careful." she responded and their grips loosened.

There was such reluctance as Alicia released him, she wanted nothing more than to stay in the safety of his arms and her tears fell as she looked at his face, with everything that was going on, she could very well not see him again. But being with her was dangerous, and if she wanted him, and they were to be safe and happy, she had to go and find the Horcruxes.

It was that that allowed her to walk away from Fred, it was by far, so far, the hardest thing she'd ever done as she turned and ran through the panicked crowd.

Cloaked and masked figures had appeared under the marquee. Alicia's wand flicked and flourished as she sent them flying away from her. Lupin and Tonks were doing the same, protecting the guests as Alicia pushed two people aside and Harry, Ron and Hermione came into view before her. They were shouting her name, holding onto one another, and she grabbed Ron's hand before they even saw her and spun on the spot, dragging them away with her.

Sight and sound were extinguished as darkness pressed against them, Ron's hand was tight in her's as they squeezed through space and time, away from The Burrow, away from the descending Death Eaters, away, perhaps, from Voldemort himself…

Her feet touched the floor and she released Ron, awakening him to the fact they'd arrived.

"Where are we?" said Ron. They were still surrounded by people but Alicia didn't dawdle.

"This is Tottenham Court Road." Hermione said

"Come here once with the orphanage." Alicia admitted as Hermione turned to follow her.

"Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you to change." Hermione said and they half walked, half ran up the wide dark street thronged with late-night revellers and lined with closed shops, stars twinkling above them. A double-decker bus rumbled by and a group of merry pub-goers ogled them as they passed, the boys were still in dress robes.

"Hermione, we haven't got anything to change into," Ron told her, as a young woman burst into raucous giggles at the sight of him.

"Yes we do." Alicia admitted and Ron looked at her confused.

"Why didn't I make sure I had the Invisibility Cloak with me?" said Harry, inwardly cursing his own stupidity. "All last year I kept it on me and —"

"It's okay, I've got the Cloak, I've got clothes for both of you," said Hermione. "Just try and act naturally until — this will do."

She led them down a side street, then into the shelter of a shadowy alleyway.

"When you say you've got the Cloak, and clothes…" said Harry, frowning at Hermione, who was carrying nothing except her small beaded handbag, in which she was now rummaging.

"Yes, they're here," said Hermione, and to Harry and Ron's utter astonishment, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, some maroon socks, and finally the silvery Invisibility Cloak.

"How the ruddy hell — ?"

"Undetectable Extension Charm," said Hermione.

"Hermione and I put them on something small and simple at the end of last year, we couldn't carry around trunks after all." Alicia said as she put her arm into her small blue bag and her arm disappeared right up to her shoulder, though the bag shouldn't have taken more than to her wrist.

"Tricky, but between the two of us Alicia and I managed to fit everything we need in the two." She gave the fragile-looking bag a little shake and it echoed like a cargo hold as a number of heavy objects rolled around inside it.

Alicia looked up surprised.

"Oh, damn, that'll be the books," she said, peering into it, "and I had them all stacked by subject…"

"And that's why my pensive isn't in there." Alicia said and Hermione shot her a look.

"Oh well… Harry, you'd better take the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, hurry up and change…"

"When did you do all this?" Harry asked as Ron stripped off his robes.

"I told you at The Burrow, I've had the essentials packed for days, you know, in case we needed to make a quick getaway. I packed your rucksack today, Harry, after you changed, Alicia had a feeling, what with so many people arriving at the Burrow." Hermione said

"It was just a precaution." Alicia admitted "Lucky really."

"You two are amazing, you are," said Ron, handing her his bundled-up robes.

"We know." Alicia grinned. Harry looked at her and only now realised she'd been crying, but she acted as if her eyes weren't slightly red and had wiped away any tears she'd had.

"Thank you," said Hermione, managing a small smile as she pushed the robes into the bag. "Please, Harry, get that Cloak on!" Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders and pulled it up over his head, vanishing from sight.

Alicia pulled a mirror from her bag and looked to see her transfigurations were still in place and she put the mirror back as Harry spoke.

"The others — everyone at the wedding —"

"We can't worry about that now," whispered Hermione. "It's you they're after, Harry, and we'll just put everyone in even more danger by going back."

"She's right," said Ron, who seemed to know that Harry was about to argue, even if he could not see his face. "Most of the Order was there, they'll look after everyone."

"With how many people were there… I doubt they'd have too much trouble." Alicia said "The most thing to worry about is if Mr and Mrs Weasley can stay in the house or not…" she said frowning.

"We've got enough safe houses, until it's safe." Ron assured her and she nodded, taking a breath.

"Yeah." Harry agreed from under the cloak.

"Come on, I think we ought to keep moving," said Hermione.

They moved back up the side street and onto the main road again, where a group of men on the opposite side was singing and weaving across the pavement.

"Just as a matter of interest, why Tottenham Court Road?" Ron asked Alicia.

"Just popped in I guess." she shrugged

"I came here once too." Hermione said, "Forgotten all about it."

"Muggle world is better than any wizard place, out here no one knows who we are and we're less likely to be reported in." Alicia believed

"Alicia's right, it's not where they'll expect us to be."

"True," said Ron, looking around, "but don't you feel a bit — exposed?"

"Where else is there?" asked Hermione, cringing as the men on the other side of the road started wolf-whistling at her. "We can hardly book rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, can we? And Grimmauld Place is out if Snape can get in there… I suppose we could try my parents' house, though I think there's a chance they might check there… Oh, I wish they'd shut up!"

"All right, darling?" the drunkest of the men on the other pavement was yelling. "Fancy a drink? Ditch ginger and come and have a pint!"

"Only if you want me to break your nose." Alicia responded sweetly.

"Let's sit down somewhere," Hermione said hastily as Ron opened his mouth to shout also back across the road. "Look, this will do, in here!"

It was a small and shabby all-night café. A light layer of grease lay on all the Formica-topped tables, but it was at least empty. Harry slipped into a booth first and Ron sat next to him opposite Alicia and Hermione, who had their back to the entrance which Hermione did not like: She glanced over her shoulder so frequently she appeared to have a twitch.

After a minute or two, Ron said, "You know, we're not far from the Leaky Cauldron here, it's only in Charing Cross —"

"Ron, we can't!" said Hermione at once.

"Are you crazy?" Alicia hushed

"Not to stay there, but to find out what's going on!"

"We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?"

"Okay, okay, it was just an idea!"

"The fact that Voldemort's got the Ministry means we can't go anywhere with wizards, we need to stay off the radar. Give it a day and Harry will be Undesirable No. 1. We need to be smart and careful, information can wait."

Ron was clearly worried and he didn't seen to like this.

"Ron." he turned to Alicia "Remember, Fred and I still have our mirrors, give everyone at the wedding time to get somewhere safe and settle and we can call in, check that everyone's fine. The mirrors can't be traced after all." with this Ron seemed to relax and he nodded.

The gum-chewing waitress shuffled over and Hermione ordered three cappuccinos: As Harry was invisible, it would have looked odd to order him one. A pair of burly workmen entered the café and squeezed into the next booth. Hermione dropped her voice to a whisper.

"I say we find a quiet place to Disapparate and head for the countryside. Once we're there, we could send a message to the Order."

"Can you do that talking Patronus thing, then?" asked Ron.

"I've been practicing and I think so, in case Fred can't…" said Hermione but Alicia shook her head and took a sip of the cappuccino that'd been placed in front of her.

"Well, as long as it doesn't get them into trouble, though they might've been arrested already. God, that's revolting," Ron added after one sip of the foamy, greyish coffee. The waitress had heard; she shot Ron a nasty look as she shuffled off to take the new customers' orders. The larger of the two workmen, who was blond and quite huge waved her away. She stared, affronted.

"Let's get going, then, I don't want to drink this muck," said Ron. "Hermione, have you got Muggle money to pay for this?"

Alicia was staring at the huge blonde person and a face flashed past her mind as Hermione reached for her bag.

"Yes, I took out all my Building Society savings before I came to The Burrow. I'll bet all the change is at the bottom,"

Alicia was on her feet, her wand in her hand as the two workmen made identical movements.

Alicia's spell hit one of the Death Eaters full in the face as she'd recognised him and moved a fraction of a second first as Harry's voice sounded from under his cloak.

" _Stupefy_!"

Ron had acted a few seconds late but had lunged across the table to push Hermione sideways and out of the way.

Alicia had caused the blonde Death Eater to slump sideways unconscious while his companion shot another spell at Ron, unable to see Harry. Shining black ropes flew from his wand-tip and Alicia waved her wand for all of them to catch fire, the flames running back to the Death Eater like it did when burning gunpowder.

" _Petrificus Totalus_!" screamed Hermione from out of sight, and the Death Eater fell forward like a statue to land with a crunching thud on the mess of broken china, table, and coffee. Hermione and Ron crawled out from underneath the bench, Hermione shaking bits of glass ashtray out of her hair and trembling all over.

Alicia moved over to the two Death Eaters as Harry pulled off his cloak and followed her.

"He was at the Astronomy tower." Alicia said as he joined her "Firing all those curses all over the place, remember?"

"I should've recognised him." Harry nodded as he agreed "Good thing you did." he said to her and she shrugged. Harry turned over the darker Death Eater with his foot; the man's eyes moved rapidly between Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"That's Dolohov," said Ron. "I recognise him from the old wanted posters. I think the big one's Thorfinn Rowle."

"Never mind what they're called!" said Hermione a little hysterically. "How did they find us? What are we going to do?"

"We can't let them go and tell everyone what happened, if we do they'll will start hunting us in the Muggle world and we can't cause more to die for that." Alicia said

"Lock the door," Harry told Hermione, "and Ron, turn out the lights."

The lock clicked and Ron used the Deluminator to plunge the café into darkness.

"What are we going to do with them?" Ron whispered to Harry through the dark; then, even more quietly, "Kill them? They'd kill us. They had a good go just now."

Hermione shuddered and took a step backward. Harry shook his head.

"We do that, we're as bad as they are." Alicia said as she took her wand and pointed it at Dolohov.

"We just need to wipe their memories," said Harry. "It's better like that, it'll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it'd be obvious we were here."

"You're the boss," said Ron, sounding profoundly relieved. "But I've never done a Memory Charm."

" _Obliviate_." Alicia said and the three looked down at her. At once, Dolohov's eyes became unfocused and dreamy.

"Brilliant!" said Harry, clapping her on the back. "Take care of the other one, Hermione do the waitress while Ron and I clear up."

"Clear up?" said Ron, looking around at the partly destroyed café. "Why?"

"Don't you think they might wonder what's happened if they wake up and find themselves in a place that looks like it's just been bombed?"

"Oh right, yeah…"

Ron struggled for a moment before managing to extract his wand from his pocket.

"It's no wonder I can't get it out, Hermione, you packed my old jeans, they're tight."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," hissed Hermione, and as she dragged the waitress out of sight of the windows, She muttered a suggestion as to where Ron could stick his wand instead as Alicia wiped the other Death Eater's Memory. She levitated both back up onto their bench after repairing it. She laid them as if they'd just fallen asleep, one leaning on the wall, the other drooling on the table.

"But how did they find us?" Hermione asked, looking from one inert man to the other. "How did they know where we were?"

She turned to Harry.

"You — you don't think you've still got your Trace on you, do you, Harry?"

"He can't have," said Ron. "The Trace breaks at seventeen, that's Wizarding law, you can't put it on an adult."

"As far as you know," said Hermione. "What if the Death Eaters have found a way to put it on a seventeen-year-old?"

"But Harry hasn't been near a Death Eater in the last twenty-four hours. Who's supposed to have put a Trace back on him?"

Alicia didn't believe that was the case, there were other ways to find people… but with Harry under the cloak…

"If I can't use magic, and you can't use magic near me, without us giving away our position —" he began.

"We're not splitting up!" said Hermione firmly.

"With the Ministry under control… it's likely they've done something…" Alicia mumbled "I don't think it's connected to Harry exactly, or don't you think they'd have acted a little differently?" Alicia said toking at them. "They're supposed to catch Harry, this didn't seem like that was the objective."

"We need a safe place to hide," said Ron. "Give us time to think things through."

"Grimmauld Place," said Harry.

The other two gaped.

"Don't be silly, Harry, Snape can get in there!"

"Ron's dad said they've put up jinxes against him — and even if they haven't worked," he pressed on as Hermione began to argue, "so what? I swear, I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape!"

"But —"

"Hermione, where else is there? It's the best chance we've got. Snape's only one Death Eater. If I've still got the Trace on me, we'll have whole crowds of them on us wherever else we go."

"I don't think Snape's gonna turn up at Grimmauld Place." Alicia said "It's safe." the three looked at her "Trust me on this."

They shared a look and Hermione looked ready to argue but she went to unlock the door after a stern look from Alicia and Ron clicked the Deluminator to release the café's light. Then, on Harry's count of three, they reversed the spells upon their three victims, and before the waitress or either of the Death Eaters could do more than stir sleepily, Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had turned on the spot and vanished into the compressing darkness once more.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Alicia opened her eyes and found herself standing in a very familiar small and shabby square. Tall, dilapidated houses looked down on them from every side. Number twelve was visible to them, for they had been told of its existence by Dumbledore, its Secret-Keeper, and they rushed toward it, checking every few yards that they were not being followed or observed. They raced up the stone steps, and Harry tapped the front door once with his wand. They heard a series of metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain, then the door swung open with a creak and they hurried over the threshold.

Harry closed the door behind them and old-fashioned gas lamps sprang into life, casting flickering light along the length of the hallway. Nothing had changed in the house since Alicia had last been here, two whole Christmases ago, it was still eerie, held cobwebs, house-elf heads were on the walls and throwing odd shadows up the staircase. Long dark curtains concealed the portrait of Sirius's mother. The only thing that was out of place was the troll's leg umbrella stand, which was lying on its side as if Tonks had just knocked it over again.

"I think somebody's been in here," Hermione whispered, pointing toward it.

"That could've happened as the Order left," Ron murmured back.

"Or Mundungus when he raided the place." Alicia added

"So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asked.

"Maybe they're only activated if he shows up?" suggested Ron.

Yet they remained close together on the doormat, backs against the door, scared to move farther into the house.

"Or we haven't activated them yet." Alicia added

"Well, we can't stay here forever," said Harry, and he took a step forward.

" _Severus Snape_?"

Mad-Eye Moody's voice whispered out of the darkness, making all four of them jump back in fright.

"We're not Snape!" croaked Harry, before something whooshed over them like cold air. Alicia's tongue curled backward on itself, making it impossible to speak, only it lasted less then a second before it was unravelled and she swished it over the backs of her teeth to remove the weird feeling the spell had created.

It seemed they'd all experienced the feeling for Ron was making retching noises beside them.

"That m-must have b-been the T-Tongue-Tying Curse Mad-Eye set up for Snape!" Hermione said.

"That's one jinx, who wants to step forwards this time?" Alicia offered.

Gingerly Harry took another step forward. Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall, and before any of them could say another word, a figure had risen up out of the carpet, tall, dust- coloured, and terrible: Hermione screamed and so did Mrs. Black, her curtains flying open; the grey figure was gliding toward them, faster and faster, its waist-length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets: Horribly familiar, dreadfully altered, it raised a wasted arm, pointing at Harry.

"No!" Harry shouted, and though he had raised his wand he said nothing. "No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you —"

On the word _kill,_ the figure exploded in a great cloud of dust. Alicia coughed, her eyes closed as she brushed her hands over her face. Harry was beside her, coughing as his eyes watered. Hermione was crouched on the floor by the door with her arms over her head, and Ron, who was shaking from head to foot, patting her clumsily on the shoulder and saying, "It's all r-right… It's g-gone…"

"Good job Moody." Alicia mumbled as her heart was still racing.

Dust swirled like mist, catching the blue gaslight, as Mrs. Black continued to scream.

" _Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonour, taint of shame on the house of my fathers —_ "

"SHUT UP!" Harry bellowed, directing his wand at her, and with a bang and a burst of red sparks, the curtains swung shut again, silencing her.

"That… that was…" Hermione whimpered, as Ron helped her to her feet.

"Yeah," said Harry, "but it wasn't really him, was it? Just something to scare Snape."

"Well it worked on us." Alicia mumbled and Hermione nodded.

Alicia took the next step and when nothing happened she was first to head down the hall, Harry, Ron and Hermione following. Nothing else moved except for a mouse skittering along the skirting board.

"Before we go any farther, I think we'd better check," whispered Hermione, and she raised her wand and said, " _Homenum revelio._ "

Nothing happened.

"Well, you've just had a big shock," said Ron kindly. "What was that supposed to do?"

"It did what I meant it to do!" said Hermione rather crossly. "That was a spell to reveal human presence, and there's nobody here except us!"

"And old Dusty," said Ron, glancing at the patch of carpet from which the corpse-figure had risen.

"That'll probably happen every time someone walks through the door." Alicia nodded.

"Let's go up," said Hermione with a frightened look at the same spot, and she led the way up the creaking stairs to the drawing room on the first floor.

Hermione waved her wand to ignite the old gas lamps, then, shivering slightly in the drafty room, she perched on the sofa, her arms wrapped tightly around her. Alicia sat beside her, comfortingly as Ron crossed to the window and moved the heavy velvet curtain aside an inch.

"Can't see anyone out there," he reported. "And you'd think, if Harry still had a Trace on him, they'd have followed us here. I know they can't get in the house, but — what's up, Harry?"

Harry had given a cry of pain and Alicia had gasped as her scar burned.

"What did you see?" Ron asked, advancing on Harry. "Did you see him at my place?"

"No, I just felt anger — he's really angry —"

"But that could be at the Burrow," said Ron loudly. "What else? Didn't you see anything? Was he cursing someone?"

"No, I just felt anger — I couldn't tell —"

"Ron." Alicia said "Take a breath, I'll give you my mirror and you can scream hoarse at it, but badgering Harry on something that's not full proof, isn't gonna help." she said.

Hermione spoke next, sounding scared.

"Your scar, again? But what's going on? I thought that connection had closed!"

"It did, for a while," muttered Harry, trying to concentrate through the burning. "I — I think it's started opening again whenever he loses control, that's how it used to —"

"But then you've got to close your mind!" said Hermione shrilly. "Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember —"

"Yeah, I do remember, thanks," said Harry through gritted teeth.

"Hermione." the girl looked surprised at Alicia's tone as she scolded her. She frowned as she looked guilty, after all when Voldemort had last pushed an image into Harry's head, it had ended in Sirius' death.

There was silence for a moment as Harry turned his back on the three before Hermione shrieked and Alicia looked surprised. Harry spun around with his wand raised as a silver Patronus soared through the drawing room window and land upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron's father.

" _Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched_."

The Patronus dissolved into nothingness. Ron let out a noise between a whimper and a groan and dropped onto the sofa: Hermione gripped his arm.

"They're all right, they're all right!" she whispered, and Ron half laughed and hugged her.

"Harry," he said over Hermione's shoulder, "I —"

"It's not a problem," said Harry, sickened by the pain in his head. "It's your family, 'course you're worried. I'd feel the same way. I _do_ feel the same way."

Alicia however had dived for her bag and was rummaging through the objects she could see in it.

"Could we use the sleeping bags I've brought and camp in here tonight?" Hermione asked looking at Alicia.

"Fine by me." she said as Ron agreed as well. Harry however muttered saying bathroom as Alicia ignored the increasing pain in her neck and pulled out her mirror. In the same instant she saw Fred appear.

"You guys are alright!" she said instantly

"Somehow, took me a while to find your holiness though." Fred said smirking.

"Your dad just sent us a message, but, I thought I'd check." she said

"No one was hurt?" Ron demanded beside her and Fred shook his head as the single eared George appeared.

"We all managed to get away, fight off the Death Eaters a bit too. Mom and Dad had to leave the house but give it a bit and I'm sure it'll be fine. What about you guys?" he asked

"Well we got out, and then two Death Eater's found us almost instantly." Alicia said and the boys looked surprised

"How?"

"We don't know." Hermione admitted

"With the Ministry now under their control, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd done something." Alicia said

"Where are you now?" Fred wondered and the three paused and shared a look.

"I dunno if we should answer that…" Alicia said and she rose an expectant eyebrow at Fred.

"I'm gonna go ring shopping tomorrow." Alicia couldn't help but laugh as the two beside her looked surprised and confused.

"Alright, alright. We're at Grimmauld Place." she admitted

"Really? But Snape—!" George began

"Moody's set up some pretty scary jinxes by the door. And I'm not worried about Snape." Alicia said, earning a look from Ron and Hermione. "But you can't go telling everyone where we are, we can't have Mrs Weasley turning up or heaps of the Order, it'll give us away." she said and the two twins nodded in agreement.

"Wait where's Harry?" Fred asked

"Watching Voldemort torture someone while he's absolutely infuriated." Alicia responded reaching up to her neck which was burning even hotter and scratching at it as if that would cool it down.

"What?!" Hermione demanded and she got up.

"Hermione." she stopped "Voldemort's anger is too much for Harry, he can't help if it overpowers him. Don't go badgering him about it alright." Hermione opened her mouth to argue but she sighed and nodded before she went back to her bag and pulled put some things, vanishing again.

Alicia turned back to the mirror.

"Keep us updated with what's happening, we're not gonna be able to get the Daily Prophet as often or contact anyone else." she said and she looked at Ron.

"Be careful." he added and Fred saluted.

"You too." and he vanished from the mirror. Alicia took a breath and looked at Ron.

"I'm so glad you've got that." he said to her.

"Be glad I fell for your brother too then." she smiled as she put the mirror back. "After all, if I hadn't I wouldn't have given him the mirror would I?"

She put the mirror back in her bag before she leaned in and pulled out two sleeping bags. She then did the same to Hermione's beaded bag and gave Ron some clothes from it and then a toiletries bag. She pulled out some more for Harry and then from her bag pulled out her's and Hermione's with some clothes.

"I'm gonna go downstairs, see if there's anything down there and make us something." she told Ron who nodded before the girl moved off down the stairs.

She felt slightly odd being back in this house. She remembered when it'd been full of people and at Christmas when Sirius had been singing holiday tunes everywhere. It was the only time the house hadn't been dreary looking, Sirius had somehow lightened it up with his mood.

She moved back to the landing and then went further down into the basement were the kitchen was. A layer of dust had collected on the long table that sat there and Alicia remembered the first time she'd sat at it, and her fifteenth birthday.

She waved her wand and the layer of dust rose and then dove into one of the bins. She moved to the cupboard but like she'd expected there was nothing there that could be done. No one had been here for a while. With another wave of her wand the bad food dumped into the bin as well. She moved to her bag and pulled out some things before she began duplicating and then with a wave of her wand things began to move and cook.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Alicia's dreams were filled with the house of Grimmauld place as well as the crash of wedding that night, being back within the house she remembered how Mrs Weasley had tried to get her to help out and how she'd pushed herself to work out her connection with Harry.

She awoke the next morning before the others and she looked around the drawing room as she sat up. It was weird waking up here, she'd always had her room in Grummauld Place. Coming to think about it, she hadn't been in the drawing room much before now. Of course there was the long day when they'd cleaned it out.

Alicia chuckled and she got to her feet, ignoring Harry, Hermione and Ron who were all still asleep, and moved over to the tapestry of the Black Family tree. She remembered Sirius leaning over it and talking to her and Harry about it. That was before Fred and George's business took off, back then she'd been subjected as a test subject for their merchandise. She remembered Fred and George pocketing doxies to experiment with their venom with.

Even though they were cleaning that'd been an interesting day. Order members flowed in and out, Mundungus brought cauldrons to hide, Sirius threw out a heap of things while Kreacher stole some of them back to hide in his cupboard. She remembered how Sirius had thrown out an Order of Merlin, claiming his family had earned it by giving a lot of money over to them. He's chuckled out a music box too, but that held music that hypnotised them all. Alicia remembered taking Sirius' father's ring with the family cast on it so Mungundus couldn't sell it, right after they'd—

Alicia froze.

"Oh my god." she said and suddenly her arm was flailing out beside her. She moved backwards towards the three and she hit Harry. "Oh my god!" she shouted it this time and Hermione and Ron were awoken by her making so much noise.

"Wasgoinon?" Ron slurred

Alicia was rummaging through her bag and she pulled out the pensieve. Harry was yawning as Hermione rubbed her eyes, though becoming more awake as Alicia put her wand to her temple and pulled out a memory. She out it in the pensieve and tapped it with her wand. An image rose from the surface and Alicia looked at it, gapping.

"I can't believe it." she whispered "Harry… Harry the letter from the locket." she said

"Alicia what is it?" Hermione asked

"Look." Alicia turned the pensieve and everyone looked to see a locket and risen out of the misty substance.

"So?" Ron asked.

Alicia raged, almost sounding like she was growling.

"Everyone up. Now!" she demanded and she poked the pensieve so the locket fell back away. The tone in her voice said no one was to argue with her and all three got up and followed her, in their pyjamas out of the Drawing Room. Alicia moved up the stairs and continued right to the top landing.

"I can't believe I forgot about it! I knew it ringed a bell. How stupid we were!" she said

"Alicia what's going on?" Harry demanded

"Every time some said R.A.B I felt like the answer was right o the tip of my tongue and it was! I know who R.A.B is but I only just remembered." They reached the top landing were there were two doors. One went to SIrius' bedroom and the other, Alicia knew, to Sirius' brother's room.

"Gosh and it fits to absolutely perfectly too!"

"Alicia!" Hermione demanded

"You're doing Hermione!" Ron complained, earning a look.

Alicia simply stopped at Regulas' bedroom door and hit it, right above her hand was a little sign and the three looked at it.

Do Not Enter

Without the Express Permission of

Regulus Arcturus Black

The three read it before looking at Alicia.

"For god's sake, Regulus Arcurus Black. R.A.B you morons." she said, angered by their slowness.

The three all expressed looked of understanding. "He was a Death Eater." Alicia said

"Sirius told us about him," Harry remembered and Alicia nodded "He joined up when he was really young and then got cold feet and tried to leave — so they killed him."

"That fits!" gasped Hermione. "If he was a Death Eater he had access to Voldemort, and if he became disenchanted, then he would have wanted to bring Voldemort down!"

"The locket — you don't reckon — ?" Ron said

"Let's find out," said Harry. He pushed the door. Hermione pointed her wand at the handle and said, " _Alohomora._ " There was a click, and the door swung open.

They moved over the threshold together, gazing around. Regulus's bedroom was slightly smaller than Alicia remembered Sirius's being, though it had the same sense of former grandeur. Whereas Sirius had sought to advertise his difference from the rest of the family, having Gryffindor colours and muggle posters and pictures of his friends on the walls, Regulus had striven to emphasise the opposite. The Slytherin colours of emerald and silver were everywhere, draping the bed, the walls, and the windows. The Black family crest was painstakingly painted over the bed, along with its motto, Toujours Pur. Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cuttings, all stuck together to make a ragged collage. Hermione crossed the room to examine them.

"They're all about Voldemort," she said. "Regulus seems to have been a fan for a few years before he joined the Death Eaters. . . ."

A little puff of dust rose from the bedcovers as she sat down to read the clippings. Harry, meanwhile, had noticed another photograph and was staring at it.

"He played Seeker," said Harry.

"What?" said Hermione vaguely; she was still immersed in Voldemort's press clippings.

"He's sitting in the middle of the front row, that's where the Seeker… Never mind," said Harry, realising that nobody was listening: Ron was on his hands and knees, searching under the wardrobe.

"Ron, what are you doing?" Alicia asked

"I'm looking for the locket!" he said obviously. Alicia groaned again and Harry looked up at her.

"Why am I friends with you people." she said and they looked confused. "The locket isn't in here."

"How do you know?" Ron demanded

"Remember!" she said "When we were cleaning out the drawing room, back in the summer, before Harry and I turned fifteen. We found all sorts of things and Sirius was chucking out a heap of stuff, that music box that hypnotised—"

"That clock that shot bolts at everyone and those old robes that tried to strangle Ron," Hermione added and Alicia nodded

"We all also passed around a locket. It was heavy and none of us could get it open!" she said looking at them, her face alight "It was in the drawing room!" The three stared at her.

"You're right, why didn't you remember this earlier?" Ron said

"We were all there!" Alicia snapped

"But your brain works faster, I'm surprised you didn't remember the second you saw the locket in the memories."

"Or remembered this when we read R.A.B." Harry agreed, pointing at the door.

"Well if Regulus had written R.A.B on the door rather than his full name, I would have." she snapped back "Honestly, it's like I'm the only one who can think about here."

"But the locket went into the sack of things to be thrown out." Harry said and Alicia could feel his devastation.

"Don't give up until we've thought of every aspect." Alicia said

"Every aspect? It was chucked out." Ron said also looking annoyed

"You are again, forgetting, this time, about Kreacher." Alicia said to him.

Harry understood. "Kreacher nicked loads of things back from us," and Alicia nodded "He had a whole stash of stuff in his cupboard in the kitchen. C'mon."

They ran down the stairs, Harry in front and taking them two at a time. They made so much noise that they woke the portrait of Sirius's mother as they passed through the hall.

" _Filth_! _Mudbloods_! _Scum_!" she screamed after them. Alicia waved her wand as they passed and the curtains shut with a bang as they continued down to the basement kitchen.

Harry ran the length of the room, skidded to a halt at the door of Kreacher's cupboard, and wrenched it open. There was the nest of dirty old blankets in which the house-elf had once slept, but they were no longer glittering with the trinkets Kreacher had salvaged. The only thing there was an old copy of _Nature_ _'_ _s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy._

"Kreacher hasn't been here, he wouldn't have been able to get rid of it all…" Alicia said thinking as Harry, who seemed to refuse to believe what he was seeing, snatched up the blankets and shook them. A dead mouse fell out and rolled dismally across the floor. Ron groaned as he threw himself into a kitchen chair; Hermione closed her eyes.

"How could it have gotten out of…" Alicia stopped and then she became angry. "I'm going to throttle him!" she raged before she turned around.

" _Kreacher_!" she demanded.

There was a loud _crack_ and the house-elf that Harry and Alicia had so reluctantly inherited from Sirius appeared out of nowhere in front of the cold and empty fireplace: tiny, half human-sized, his pale skin hanging off him in folds, white hair sprouting copiously from his batlike ears. He was still wearing the filthy rag in which they had first met him. He ignored the others including Harry and bowed to Alicia as she kneeled before him.

"Mistress!" he said to her, muttering to his knees. "back in my Mistress's old house with the blood-traitor Weasley and the Mudblood —"

"I forbid you to call anyone 'blood traitor' or 'Mudblood,'" growled Harry, butting in.

"Shh." Alicia ordered of Harry who was glaring down at the elf. He'd never forgiven Kreacher for betraying Sirius to Voldemort.

"Kreacher, I have a question for you and it is fundamentally important that you answer truthfully, you understand?" she said to him as he stood up and looked at her.

"Two years ago," said Harry, "there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. We threw it out. Did you steal it back?"

There was a moment's silence, during which Kreacher straightened up to look Harry full in the face. Then he turned to Alicia and said, "Yes."

"Where is it now?" asked Harry jubilantly as Ron and Hermione looked gleeful.

Kreacher closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see their reactions to his next word.

"Gone."

"Gone?" echoed Harry, elation flooding out of him. "What do you mean, it's gone?"

The elf shivered. He swayed.

"Kreacher," said Harry fiercely "I order you —" Alicia looked at him angry ready to snap but Kreacher spoke first.

"Mundungus Fletcher," croaked the elf, his eyes still tight shut. "Mundungus Fletcher stole it all: Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and — and —"

Kreacher was gulping for air: His hollow chest was rising and falling rapidly, then his eyes flew open and he uttered a bloodcurdling scream.

"— _and the locket, Master Regulus_ _'_ _s locket, Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!_ "

Harry reacted instinctively: As Kreacher lunged for the poker standing in the grate, he launched himself upon the elf, flattening him. Alicia gasped and fell backwards from her couch as Harry flew past her and Hermione's scream mingled with Kreacher's. Harry bellowed louder than both of them: "Kreacher, I order you to stay still!"

The elf froze and Alicia looked stunned as Harry got up, Kreacher laying flat on the cold stone floor, tears gushing from his sagging eyes.

"Harry, let him up!" Hermione whispered.

"So he can beat himself up with the poker?" snorted Harry, kneeling beside the elf. "I don't think so. Right, Kreacher, I want the truth: How do you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?"

"Kreacher saw him!" gasped the elf as tears poured over his snout and into his mouth full of graying teeth. "Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran…"

"You called the locket 'Master Regulus's,'" said Harry. "Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket, and everything Regulus had to do with it!"

The elf sat up, curled into a ball, placed his wet face between his knees, and began to rock backward and forward.

"Hold on." Alicia said and she kneeled beside Harry. "Kreacher, take a breath, then can you please tell us where you got the locket from?" Alicia said.

Kreacher sniffed and when he spoke, his voice was muffled but quite distinct in the silent, echoing kitchen.

"Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress's heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood. For years he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns… and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so proud, so happy to serve…

"And one day, a year after he had joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said… he said…"

The old elf rocked faster than ever.

"… he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."

"Voldemort needed an _elf_?" Harry repeated, looking around at Ron and Hermione, who looked just as puzzled as he did. Alicia however had head head tipped to the side. Voldemort needed and elf… what had that to do with the locket?

"He was hiding the locket." Alicia realised "But the potion was in the way."

"Oh yes," moaned Kreacher. "And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honour, said Master Regulus, an honour for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do… and then to c-come home."

Kreacher rocked still faster, his breath coming in sobs.

"So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave there was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake… There was a boat…" Alicia pursed her lips as she remembered the ghostly green but tiny boat, bewitched so as to carry one wizard and one victim toward the island in the centre.

"There was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it…"

The elf quaked from head to foot.

"Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things… Kreacher's insides burned… Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed… He made Kreacher drink all the potion… He dropped a locket into the empty basin… He filled it with more potion.

"And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island…"

Alicia looked down at Kreacher pitifully.

"Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge and he drank from the black lake… and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface…"

"How did you get away?" Harry asked, his voice just a whisper.

Kreacher raised his ugly head and looked at Harry with his great, bloodshot eyes.

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he said.

"I know — but how did you escape the Inferi?"

Kreacher did not seem to understand.

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he repeated.

"I know, but —"

"Oh come on Harry." Alicia said and he looked at her.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it, Harry?" said Ron. "He Disapparated!"

"But… you couldn't Apparate in and out of that cave," said Harry, "otherwise Dumbledore —"

"Elf magic isn't like wizard's magic, is it?" said Ron. "I mean, they can Apparate and Disapparate in and out of Hogwarts when we can't."

"It's hard to put up spells to block a house elf." Alicia admitted

"Of course, Voldemort would have considered the ways of house-elves far beneath his notice, just like all the purebloods who treat them like animals… It would never have occurred to him that they might have magic that he didn't."

"The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding," intoned Kreacher. "Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home…"

"Well, then, you did what you were told, didn't you?" said Hermione kindly. "You didn't disobey orders at all!"

Kreacher shook his head, rocking as fast as ever.

"Kreacher, what happened when you returned?" Alicia asked

"What did Regulus say when you told him what had happened?"

"Master Regulus was very worried, very worried," croaked Kreacher. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then… it was a little while later… Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell… and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord…"

Voldemort had shown Kreacher everything, where the cave was, how to get through the entrance, where the boat was and to not touch the water. They knew everything to get in, even about the potion.

"And he made you drink the potion?" said Harry, disgusted.

But Kreacher shook his head and wept. Hermione's hands leapt to her mouth: She seemed to have understood something. Alicia's eyes widened.

"M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. "And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets…"

Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now.

"And he ordered — Kreacher to leave — without him. And he told Kreacher — to go home — and never to tell my Mistress — what he had done — but to destroy — the first locket. And he drank — all the potion — and Kreacher swapped the lockets — and watched… as Master Regulus… was dragged beneath the water… and…"

"Oh, Kreacher!" wailed Hermione, who was crying. She dropped to her knees beside the elf and tried to hug him. At once he was on his feet, cringing away from her, quite obviously repulsed.

"The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it, what would his Mistress say?"

"I told you not to call her 'Mudblood'!" snarled Harry, but the elf was already punishing himself: He fell to the ground and banged his forehead on the floor.

"Kreacher, stop." the elf lay on the floor, panting and shivering, green mucus glistening around his snout, a bruise already blooming on his pallid forehead where he had struck himself, his eyes swollen and bloodshot and swimming in tears. Alicia's voice hadn't risen at all but the elf had heard and the elf obeyed.

"Please don't hurt yourself, it's alright." she responded simply.

"Oh, don't you see now how sick it is, the way they've got to obey?" Hermione said.

"So you brought the locket home," Harry said relentlessly, "And you tried to destroy it?"

"Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it," moaned the elf. "Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work… So many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open… Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his Mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared, and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f-f-forbidden him to tell any of the f-f-family what happened in the c-cave…"

Kreacher began to sob so hard that there were no more coherent words. Tears flowed down Hermione's cheeks as she watched Kreacher, but she did not dare touch him again. Even Ron, who was no fan of Kreacher's, looked troubled. Harry sat back on his heels and shook his head, trying to clear it.

"I don't understand you, Kreacher," he said finally. "Voldemort tried to kill you, Regulus died to bring Voldemort down, but you were still happy to betray Sirius to Voldemort? You were happy to go to Narcissa and Bellatrix, and pass information to Voldemort through them…"

"For got sake Harry, you can really be blind." Alicia said

"Harry, Kreacher doesn't think like that," said Hermione, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "He's a slave; house-elves are used to bad, even brutal treatment; what Voldemort did to Kreacher wasn't that far out of the common way. What do wizard wars mean to an elf like Kreacher? He's loyal to people who are kind to him, and Mrs. Black must have been, and Regulus certainly was, so he served them willingly and parroted their beliefs. I know what you're going to say," she went on as Harry began to protest, "that Regulus changed his mind… but he doesn't seem to have explained that to Kreacher, does he? And I think I know why. Kreacher and Regulus's family were all safer if they kept to the old pure-blood line. Regulus was trying to protect them all."

"Sirius —"

"Sirius was horrible to Kreacher, Harry, and it's no good looking like that, you know it's true. Kreacher had been alone for a long time when Sirius came to live here, and he was probably starving for a bit of affection. I'm sure 'Miss Cissy' and 'Miss Bella' were perfectly lovely to Kreacher when he turned up, so he did them a favour and told them everything they wanted to know. I've said all along that wizards would pay for how they treat house-elves. Well, Voldemort did… and so did Sirius."

"Dumbledore said the exact same thing." Alicia said "A house elf may not be human, but they have feelings, and if you were treated how Sirius treated Kreacher would you be reserved to help someone else, even if it was against them?"

"Have you ever noticed that Alicia asks instead of demands, the last two times we've seen Kreacher he's gone straight to her, not you, because she's nicer to him." Hermione said and as she did Alicia got up to grab a rag and a glass of water.

"Kreacher," said Harry after a while, "when you feel up to it, er… please sit up."

It was several minutes before Kreacher hiccuped himself into silence. Then he pushed himself into a sitting position again, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes like a small child.

Alicia handed him the rag and the water and he took them from her, blowing his snout nose and gulping the liquid.

"Kreacher, I am going to ask you to do something," said Harry. He glanced at Hermione for assistance, but his tone was calmer now as Alicia's had been and it caused Hermione to smile encouragingly.

"Kreacher, I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket — where Master Regulus's locket is. It's really important. We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to — er — ensure that he didn't die in vain."

Kreacher dropped his fists and looked up at Harry.

"Find Mundungus Fletcher?" he croaked.

"And bring him here, to Grimmauld Place," said Harry. "Do you think you could do that for us?"

"And Kreacher, no ones to know what you're doing." Alicia added "Or why you're doing it, do you understand?" Kreacher looked at her and then to Harry before he nodded and got to his feet.

Harry it seemed had an inspiration, for he pulled out Hagrid's purse and took out the fake Horcrux, the substitute locket in which Regulus had placed the note to Voldemort.

"Kreacher, I'd, er, like you to have this," he said, pressing the locket into the elf's hand. "This belonged to Regulus and I'm sure he'd want you to have it as a token of gratitude for what you —"

"Overkill, mate," said Ron as the elf took one look at the locket, let out a howl of shock and misery, and threw himself back onto the ground.

"He deserves to have it." Alicia said "He had to go through the torture of that potion and the inferi. Don't worry, he'll collect himself eventually." she assured.

It took them nearly half an hour to calm down Kreacher, who was so overcome to be presented with a Black family heirloom for his very own that he was too weak at the knees to stand properly. When finally he was able to totter a few steps they all accompanied him to his cupboard, watched him tuck up the locket safely in his dirty blankets, and assured him that they would make its protection their first priority while he was away. He then made three low bows to Alicia, Harry and Ron, and even gave a funny little spasm in Hermione's direction that might have been an attempt at a respectful salute, before Disapparating with the usual loud _crack._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Harry it seemed was either impatient or overconfident about Kreacher's return, he prowled the house all morning waiting for Kreacher to return as Alicia cooked breakfast and they ate it in the very large kitchen.

"It's weird eating down here, it was always filled with noise…" Alicia mumbled as she looked around. "They only time it was silent was when we were waiting for news on Mr Weasley." she sighed "I miss Mrs Weasley yelling at the twins or scowling at Mungungus." Along with Sirius' barking laugh at it all.

"I miss her shouting at you." Ron smirked and she chuckled as she finished her breakfast.

"We're gonna need to do something about food, I think I've got enough to make some lunch but I'm running out of stuff." she confessed

"I thought you were duplicating it all?" Ron said

"I was, but I didn't bring a whole library of food like Hermione did books. Even duplicating it wont do much." she confessed thinking "I could try summoning it…"

"Where would you summon it form?" Hermione asked as Harry was constantly looking around as though expecting Kreacher to burst in any moment.

"Depends, if it has to fly through the air to us I can't can I… but if it moves from one place to another, I was thinking the Hogwarts kitchens." she admitted "After all I know they've probably got what ever I want." she smirked slightly.

Much to Harry's displeasure, Kreacher did not turn up the following day, or the day after that.

"You've got to remember that Moody kinda died cause of Mundungus, he's probably gone deep underground so both the Order and Voldemort can't find him." Alicia said "It's gonna take a bit of time.

As well as Kreacher's lengthy return, two cloaked men had appeared in the square outside number twelve, and they remained there into the night, gazing in the direction of the house that they could not see.

"Death Eaters, for sure," said Ron, as he, Alicia, Harry, and Hermione watched from the drawing room windows. "Reckon they know we're in here?"

"I don't think so," said Hermione, though she looked frightened, "or they'd have sent Snape in after us, wouldn't they?"

"I bet they reckon someone's in here." Alicia said "Maybe the same way they knew we were in Tottenham Court Road, can find us, but not, us specifically… I wondered if they—" Alicia paused "Taboo!" she said gasping

"What?" Ron and Harry asked

"Taboo, it's a curse, it's usually put on a word." Alicia explained and she turned back to the Death Eaters. "Bet you the tabooed something and that's how they're finding us."

"You mean every word we—"

"Oh Ronald." Hermione said "It's not on every word, just one."

"Problem is which one…" Alicia said "If they wanted to find Harry I'd put it on your name, they'd find us so easily that way, if we're with you we'd always say it."

"So we can't say Harry's name?" Ron asked looking stunned

"It might be anything." Alicia shrugged "But I bet that's how they know someone's in the house. Could be any of the order though, I bet if they knew it was us there'd be many more Death Eaters and, like Hermione said, they'd have sent Snape."

"D'you reckon he's been in here and had his tongue tied by Moody's curse?" asked Ron.

"Yes," said Hermione, "otherwise he'd have been able to tell that lot how to get in, wouldn't he? But they're probably watching to see whether we turn up. They know that Harry owns the house, after all."

"How do they — ?" began Harry.

"Wizarding wills are examined by the Ministry, remember? They'll know Sirius left you the place."

This increased the gloom of the house.

"But then we shouldn't speak if there's a curse on a word." Ron said to Alicia

"There's no point in that, they can't taboo every word, it'd be only one…" she mumbled as she looked over her pensieve in thought "It'll be something specific too." she waved it away. She had her mirror sitting beside her, which she'd never put back in her bag since Fred's call and her baby owl sleeping soundly beside it. Unfortunately, there had been no more news since then. It seemed Fred was too busy to call and check in on her, Ron had snatched the mirror at some point to yell at it but Fred never appeared. This made Ron restless and irritable, and he had developed an annoying habit of playing with the Deluminator in his pocket: This particularly infuriated Hermione, who was whiling away the wait for Kreacher by studying _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ and did not appreciate the way the lights kept flashing on and off, leaving Alicia's face the only thing illuminated in the darkness by the pensieve.

"Will you stop it!" she cried on the third evening of Kreacher's absence, as all light was sucked from the drawing room yet again.

"Sorry, sorry!" said Ron, clicking the Deluminator and restoring the lights. "I don't know I'm doing it!"

"Well, can't you find something useful to occupy yourself?"

"What, like reading kids' stories?"

"Dumbledore left me this book, Ron —"

"— and he left me the Deluminator, maybe I'm supposed to use it!"

Unable to stand the bickering, Harry slipped out of the room, likely to go back to the kitchen he continued to visit. Alicia paused, having heard something over the two's bickering and turned for the door.

"Shut up!" she snapped at them both and they turned to her annoyed before noticing her expression. She'd heard the dust figure arise and then another voice.

"It was not I who killed you, Albus," said a quiet voice.

Someone else was in the house.

Alicia was up from her spot, wand in hand and left the room as Harry's voice sounded loudly.

"Don't move!" His shout awoke Mrs Black and she began to scream as Alicia joined Harry. There was an unknown man there, completely covered in a travelling cloak as Hermione and Ron joined the twins. The man had his arms raised in the hall.

"Hold your fire, it's me, Remus!"

"Oh, thank goodness," said Hermione weakly, pointing her wand at Mrs. Black instead; with a bang, the curtains swished shut again and silence fell. Ron too lowered his wand, but Alicia and Harry did not.

"You're gonna have to prove it." Alicia said as Harry said

"Show yourself!"

Lupin moved forward into the lamplight, hands still held high in a gesture of surrender.

"I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you both how to produce a Patronus, Harry's which takes the form of a stag and Alicia's an owl."

"I think that covers it." Alicia nodded looking at Harry

"Oh, all right," said Harry, lowering his wand, "but I had to check, didn't I?"

"Speaking as your ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I quite agree that you had to check. Ron, Hermione, you shouldn't be quite so quick to lower your defences."

"Anyone could have said they were him." Alicia said to them nodding before she ran down the rest of the stairs first. Wrapped in a thick black traveling cloak, Lupin looked exhausted, but pleased to see them.

"No sign of Severus, then?" he asked.

"No," said Harry. "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Yes," said Lupin, "but we're all being watched. There are a couple of Death Eaters in the square outside —"

"We know —"

"I had to Apparate very precisely onto the top step outside the front door to be sure that they would not see me. They can't know you're in here or I'm sure they'd have more people out there; they're staking out everywhere that's got any connection with you, Harry."

"That seems likely." Alicia nodded

"Let's go downstairs, there's a lot to tell you, and I want to know what happened after you left the Burrow."

They descended into the kitchen, where Hermione pointed her wand at the grate. A fire sprang up instantly: It gave the illusion of coziness to the stark stone walls and glistened off the long wooden table. Lupin pulled a few butterbeers from beneath his traveling cloak and they sat down.

"I'd have been here three days ago but I needed to shake off the Death Eater tailing me," said Lupin. "So, you came straight here after the wedding?"

"No," said Harry, "only after we ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a café on Tottenham Court Road."

Lupin slopped most of his butterbeer down his front.

" _What_?"

They explained what had happened; when they had finished, Lupin looked aghast.

"But how did they find you so quickly? It's impossible to track anyone who Apparates, unless you grab hold of them as they disappear!"

"And it doesn't seem likely they were just strolling down Tottenham Court Road at the time, does it?" said Harry.

"We wondered," said Hermione tentatively, "whether Harry could still have the Trace on him?"

"Impossible," said Lupin. Ron looked smug, and Harry felt hugely relieved. "Apart from anything else, they'd know for sure Harry was here if he still had the Trace on him, wouldn't they? But I can't see how they could have tracked you to Tottenham Court Road, that's worrying, really worrying."

"Alicia suggested a taboo." Ron said

"Unfortunately we got no idea what word they'd jinx." Alicia mumbled "What ever it is it seems this house stops it or I'm sure Snape would be here." though her expression didn't show she believed that at all.

"Tell us what happened after we left, we haven't heard a thing since Ron's dad told us the family were safe and Fred didn't tell us much besides that either."

"If he's being watched I don't blame him." Alicia said

"Well, Kingsley saved us," said Lupin. "Thanks to his warning most of the wedding guests were able to Disapparate before they arrived."

"Were they Death Eaters or Ministry people?" interjected Hermione.

"A mixture; but to all intents and purposes they're the same thing now," said Lupin. "There were about a dozen of them, but they didn't know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumour that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it's true, he didn't give you away."

"Wow…" Alicia said "And after we pissed him off so much. I'm glad he didn't let personal grudge get in the way." Harry looked at Ron and Hermione as she spoke, the three clearly as shocked and gratified as she was.

"The Death Eaters searched the Burrow from top to bottom," Lupin went on. "They found the ghoul, but didn't want to get too close — and then they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, and even Alicia as they believed you together, but of course nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there."

"I'm gonna kill Fred for not telling me that. Damn him for trying to protect us from the truth." Alicia hissed. "He's in so much trouble." but she looked down at her ring regardless, frowning slightly.

"At the same time that they were smashing up the wedding, more Death Eaters were forcing their way into every Order-connected house in the country. No deaths," he added quickly, forestalling the question, "but they were rough. They burned down Dedalus Diggle's house, but as you know he wasn't there, and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonks's family. Again, trying to find out where you went after you visited them. They're all right — shaken, obviously, but otherwise okay."

"The Death Eaters got through all those protective charms?" Harry asked

"What you've got to realise, Harry, is that the Death Eaters have got the full might of the Ministry on their side now," said Lupin. "They've got the power to perform brutal spells without fear of identification or arrest. They managed to penetrate every defensive spell we'd cast against them, and once inside, they were completely open about why they'd come."

"And are they bothering to give an excuse for torturing Harry's whereabouts out of people?" asked Hermione, an edge to her voice.

"Well," said Lupin. He hesitated, then pulled out a folded copy of the _Daily Prophet._

"Here," he said, pushing it across the table to Harry, "you'll know sooner or later anyway. That's their pretext for going after you."

Harry smoothed out the paper. A huge photograph of his own face filled the front page. The headline over the top read WANTED FOR QUESTIONING ABOUT THE DEATH OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

Alicia looked at it shocked and then angered.

"I said you'd become Undesirable No. 1 didn't I." she grumbled as Ron and Hermione gave roars of outrage, but Harry said nothing. He pushed the newspaper away. Alicia figured it was the only thing they could think of, after all, nobody but those who had been on top of the tower when Dumbledore died knew who had really killed him and, as Rita Skeeter had already told the Wizarding world, Harry had been seen running from the place moments after Dumbledore had fallen.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Lupin said.

"They're not targeting Alicia for that too?" Ron asked

"I come down the tower with the cloak on still." Alicia said "No one knew I was there, no one saw me leave it, no one saw me till I took it off at the bottom of the tower." she said "And the first person who did see me, was Snape."

The four all turned to her shocked and she instantly knew she'd opened some flood gates.

"He what?" Harry questioned

"Well yeah, he came out the front doors with Draco and saw me."

"What did he do?"

"Nothing. Stared at me for a moment, looked a bit surprised and then left."

"And you did nothing!" Harry suddenly shouted at her

"I'm not going to explain myself to you, Harry, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Alicia said simply and he looked at her furiously "Nothing I say will do anything since you're so bottled up with hatred."

"And you're not!?" he demanded

"No."

"You don't hate Snape?" Lupin asked her

"No." she repeated and he watched her for a moment as though curious.

Hermione seemed to take this opportunity to stop Harry shouting again.

"So Death Eaters have taken over the _Daily Prophet_ too?" asked Hermione furiously.

Lupin nodded.

"But surely people realise what's going on?"

"The coup has been smooth and virtually silent," said Lupin.

"The official version of Scrimgeour's murder is that he resigned; he has been replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who is under the Imperius Curse."

"Why didn't Voldemort declare himself Minister of Magic?" asked Ron.

Lupin laughed and even Alicia did.

"He never wanted Minister of Magic Ron, being as brilliant as he was at Hogwarts and with top marks and all he could have gone straight there without all of this if that was his desire." Alicia admitted

"He also doesn't need to, Ron. Effectively he _is_ the Minister, but why should he sit behind a desk at the Ministry? His puppet, Thicknesse, is taking care of everyday business, leaving Voldemort free to extend his power beyond the Ministry.

"Naturally many people have deduced what has happened: There has been such a dramatic change in Ministry policy in the last few days, and many are whispering that Voldemort must be behind it. However, that is the point: They whisper. They daren't confide in each other, not knowing whom to trust; they are scared to speak out, in case their suspicions are true and their families are targeted. Yes, Voldemort is playing a very clever game. Declaring himself might have provoked open rebellion: Remaining masked has created confusion, uncertainty, and fear."

"And this dramatic change in Ministry policy," said Harry, "involves warning the Wizarding world against me instead of Voldemort?"

"That's certainly part of it," said Lupin, "and it is a masterstroke. Now that Dumbledore is dead, you — the Boy Who Lived — were sure to be the symbol and rallying point for any resistance to Voldemort. But by suggesting that you had a hand in the old hero's death, Voldemort has not only set a price upon your head, but sown doubt and fear amongst many who would have defended you. And no one will turn to Alicia for head because she's always at your side and always with you.

"Meanwhile, the Ministry has started moving against Muggleborns."

Lupin pointed at the _Daily Prophet._

"Look at page two."

Hermione turned the pages with much the same expression of distaste she had worn when handling _Secrets of the Darkest Art_.

" ' _Muggle-born Register,_ _' "_ she read aloud. _" '_ _The Ministry of Magic is undertaking a survey of so-called_ _"_ _Muggle-borns,_ _"_ _the better to understand how they came to possess magical secrets._

" ' _Recent research undertaken by the Department of Mysteries reveals that magic can only be passed from person to person when Wizards reproduce. Where no proven Wizarding ancestry exists, therefore, the so-called Muggle-born is likely to have obtained magical power by theft or force._

"' _The Ministry is determined to root out such usurpers of magical power, and to this end has issued an invitation to every so-called Muggle-born to present themselves for interview by the newly appointed Muggle-born Registration Commission._ _'_ "

"What a load of rubbish, Muggle-borns, just like those from wizarding families have their name written down for Hogwarts the moment they're born. If they stole it that wouldn't happen." Alicia said "If you ask me Muggle-borns are evolutions way of not letting Wizards die out, otherwise we might have." she said

"People won't let this happen," said Ron.

"It _is_ happening, Ron," said Lupin. "Muggle-borns are being rounded up as we speak."

"But how are they supposed to have 'stolen' magic?" said Ron. "It's mental, if you could steal magic there wouldn't be any Squibs, would there?"

"I know," said Lupin. "Nevertheless, unless you can prove that you have at least one close Wizarding relative, you are now deemed to have obtained your magical power illegally and must suffer the punishment."

Ron glanced at Hermione, then said, "What if purebloods and half-bloods swear a Muggle-born's part of their family? I'll tell everyone Hermione's my cousin —"

Hermione covered Ron's hand with hers and squeezed it. "Thank you, Ron, but I couldn't let you —"

"You won't have a choice," said Ron fiercely, gripping her hand back. "I'll teach you my family tree so you can answer questions on it."

Hermione gave a shaky laugh.

"Ron, as we're on the run with Harry Potter, the most wanted person in the country, I don't think it matters. If I was going back to school it would be different. What's Voldemort planning for Hogwarts?" she asked Lupin.

"Attendance is now compulsory for every young witch and wizard," he replied. "That was announced yesterday. It's a change, because it was never obligatory before. Of course, nearly every witch and wizard in Britain has been educated at Hogwarts, but their parents had the right to teach them at home or send them abroad if they preferred. This way, Voldemort will have the whole Wizarding population under his eye from a young age. And it's also another way of weeding out Muggle-borns, because students must be given Blood Status — meaning that they have proven to the Ministry that they are of Wizard descent — before they are allowed to attend."

"So he's ruining the dreams of eleven year olds and making Hogwarts a place of fear…" Alicia mumbled. But something else passed through her mind at the same point.

" _You're memory is as sharp as ever. Do not fret Alicia, the safety of the students of Hogwarts has always been my prime concern, and I have made the arrangements to have it all sorted."_

" _While Voldemort's in charge?" Alicia said surprised but it came to her as quickly as she asked. "Professor Snape." Dumbledore nodded._

 _Snape… but then…_ Alicia understood.

"It's… it's…" Harry muttered, struggling to find words that did justice to the horror of his thoughts, but Lupin said quietly,

"I know." Lupin hesitated.

"I'll understand if you can't confirm this, Harry, but the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission."

"He did, in me and Alicia," Harry replied, "and Ron and Hermione are in on it and they're coming with me."

"Can you confide in me what the mission is?"

Harry looked into the prematurely lined face, framed in thick but greying hair.

"I can't, Remus, I'm sorry. If Dumbledore didn't tell you I don't think I can."

"I thought you'd say that," said Lupin, looking disappointed. "But I might still be of some use to you. You know what I am and what I can do. I could come with you to provide protection. There would be no need to tell me exactly what you were up to."

To everyone's surprise Alicia had slammed her hands on the table and stood up with absolute rage in her face.

"Abso-fricken-lutely not!" she shouted at him. "Did nothing I say do anything!?" she demanded of him

"Alicia—"

"Don't Alicia me." she snapped "How can you do this! Run away like a coward, your tail between your legs! And what help would it be for you not to be there! It's gonna happen anyway you cannot run away from your responsibilities like that!"

"Um… Alicia…" Hermione said confused

"I am absolutely repulsed, here my parents died for me and you're running from something insignificant." Lupin stared at her

"What is she going on about?" Ron questioned. Lupin glanced at him and then to Alicia who gave him a hard look.

"Tonks is going to have a baby."

"Oh, how wonderful!" squealed Hermione.

"Excellent!" said Ron enthusiastically.

"Congratulations," said Harry but he was watching Alicia as she fumed beside him.

"So… do you accept my offer? Will four become five? I cannot believe that Dumbledore would have disapproved, he appointed me your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, after all. And I must tell you that I believe that we are facing magic many of us have never encountered or imagined."

Ron and Hermione both looked at Harry.

"Just — just to be clear," he said. "You want to leave Tonks at her parents' house and come away with us?"

"She'll be perfectly safe there, they'll look after her," said Lupin. He spoke with a finality bordering on indifference. "Harry, I'm sure James would have wanted me to stick with you."

Alicia scoffed.

"Well," said Harry slowly, "I'm not. I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually."

Lupin's face drained of colour. The temperature in the kitchen might have dropped ten degrees. Ron stared around the room as though he had been bidden to memorise it, while Hermione's eyes swivelled backward and forward from Harry to Lupin.

"You don't understand," said Lupin at last.

"Explain, then," said Harry.

Lupin swallowed.

"I — I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgment and I have regretted it very much ever since."

"I see," said Harry, "so you're just going to dump her and the kid and run off with us?"

Lupin sprang to his feet: His chair toppled over backward, and he glared at them so fiercely that for the first time ever, the shadow of the wolf was upon his human face.

"Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!"

Lupin kicked aside the chair he had overturned.

"You have only ever seen me amongst the Order, or under Dumbledore's protection at Hogwarts! You don't know how most of the Wizarding world sees creatures like me! When they know of my affliction, they can barely talk to me! Don't you see what I've done? Even her own family is disgusted by our marriage, what parents want their only daughter to marry a werewolf? And the child — the child —"

"You have no proof!" Alicia shouted "I already told you! There is no evidence that it'll be like you Remus! And you can come here to two people who have no family and tell them you wish to ditch your own out of fear. It doesn't matter what other's want! All that matters is what you and Tonks want!"

"Alicia, my kind don't usually breed! It will be like me, I am convinced of it — how can I forgive myself, when I knowingly risked passing on my own condition to an innocent child? And if, by some miracle, it is not like me, then it will be better off, a hundred times so, without a father of whom it must always be ashamed!"

Alicia felt like she was going to explode and she had to walk away from the table, throwing her chair aside as she did.

"Remus!" whispered Hermione, tears in her eyes. "Don't say that — how could any child be ashamed of you?"

"Oh, I don't know, Hermione," said Harry. "I'd be pretty ashamed of him." Harry was on his feet as well, his anger mirroring that of his sister's.

Lupin looked as though Harry had hit him.

"If the new regime thinks Muggle-borns are bad," Harry said, "what will they do to a half-werewolf whose father's in the Order? My father died trying to protect my mother and me, and you reckon he'd tell you to abandon your kid to go on an adventure with us?"

"How — how dare you?" said Lupin. "This is not about a desire for — for danger or personal glory — how dare you suggest such a —"

"I think you're feeling a bit of a daredevil," Harry said. "You fancy stepping into Sirius's shoes —"

"Harry, no!" Hermione begged him, but he continued to glare into Lupin's livid face.

"This isn't about being a daredevil, is about fear! You fricken coward! How dare you believe leaving your child is for the best! He'll grow up in a house hold where Tonks, who loves a werewolf, will show him that you are not defined by that! He will not be ashamed of you and you should be there to show him he has no reason to be!" Alicia shrieked so loudly that it awoke Mrs Black again her screams echoing down towards them, but none moved to address her.

"I'd never have believed this," Harry said. "The man who taught me to fight dementors — a coward."

Alicia's hand was on her wand and the protection charm stopped the loud bang from affecting her as Lupin drew his wand so fast it was barely seen. Harry however didn't react and was sent flying backwards into the kitchen wall. Alicia watched, ignoring the ache in her back she'd received from Harry, as Lupin turned for the door and ran out.

"Remus, Remus, come back!" Hermione cried, but Lupin did not respond. A moment later they heard the front door slam amongst Mrs Black's shrieks.

"Harry!" wailed Hermione. "How could you?" she looked at Alicia who huffed merely.

"It was easy," said Harry as he stood up.

"He needed to hear it. I cannot believe him." Alicia snapped

"Don't look at me like that!" he snapped at Hermione.

"Don't you start on her!" snarled Ron.

"No — no — we mustn't fight!" said Hermione, launching herself between them.

"You shouldn't have said that stuff to Lupin," Ron told Harry.

"He had it coming to him," said Harry. "Parents, shouldn't leave their kids unless — unless they've got to."

"Harry —" said Hermione, stretching out a consoling hand, but he shrugged it off and walked away, his eyes on the fire Hermione had conjured.

"I could never face Tonks if we let him come with us, how dare he even suggest something like that." Alicia whispered as she sat herself back down.

"You knew Alicia?" Hermione said

"I worked it out when Tonks and Lupin came for our birthday, and I spoke to Lupin at the wedding about it." she admitted looking angry.

"I know I shouldn't have called him a coward." Harry said as he turned back to Ron and Hermione.

"No, you shouldn't," said Ron at once.

"But he's acting like one."

"All the same…" said Hermione.

"I know," said Harry. "But if it makes him go back to Tonks, it'll be worth it, won't it?"

"If we didn't say it then there'd be another child out there fatherless." Alicia said looking at them. "With all the deaths and disappearances… how could we take Lupin with us when knowing something like that. He needed to hear the truth and he needed it to make him realise the severity of what he was doing. If this child is like him, it'll need him, and if it's not, well Tonks fell for him despite it, and I've no doubt her influence will allow the child to see it too." Alicia said "Nothing else we were going to say would have made him leave here." Hermione and Ron shared a look and nothing they said could contradict Alicia.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Harry had vanished behind the newspaper which Lupin had left behind and Alicia was staring at the fireplace. She had no doubt in her mind that, regardless of what she and Harry had said, it was for the best if Lupin returned to Tonks, that was all that mattered. And then there was her thought on Snape. No one knew were he was but he didn't have to hide anymore, the Ministry was with Voldemort, and if that was the case would he do as Dumbledore had wished for after he was gone? Would he go to Hogwarts, and look after those who were now forced to attend?

Alicia frowned, for Severus, he couldn't complete that whole-fully, there was no way he could protest against keeping the muggle-borns out of the school, he could not protect them all. Alicia wondered if he resented that he could not properly serve Dumbledore, even in death, in order to keep up his regime with Voldemort as his number one servant.

There was also the fact that there were two seats then in the school to be filled, two teachers. It seemed likely that no one good would be put upon them… Alicia worried for Ginny, and Neville, and Luna who were all going back to sit under this all. None would be killed, but that didn't mean they weren't in for a highlighted year.

 _And we're not even there this time._ Alicia mumbled.

Ron and Hermione were still exchanging silent looks of communication, hidden and kept from Harry who had disappeared behind the Prophet, engaged soulfully in something, when there was a deafening _crack_ echoing around the kitchen.

Alicia jumped and looked up surprised to find a mass of struggling limbs that had appeared out of thin air right beside Harry's chair. The four all stood surprised and moved around to look more carefully as Kreacher disentangled himself and, bowing low to Harry, croaked, "Kreacher has returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher, Master."

Mundungus scrambled up and pulled out his wand; Hermione, however, was too quick for him.

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

Mundungus's wand soared into the air, and Hermione caught it. Wild-eyed, Mundungus dived for the stairs: Ron rugby-tackled him and Mundungus hit the stone floor with a muffled crunch.

"What?" he bellowed, writhing in his attempts to free himself from Ron's grip. "Wha've I done? Setting a bleedin' 'ouse-elf on me, what are you playing at, wha've I done, lemme go, lemme go, or —"

"You're not in much of a position to make threats," said Harry. He threw aside the newspaper, crossed the kitchen in a few strides, and dropped to his knees beside Mundungus, who stopped struggling and looked terrified.

"And as for what you've done I'm sure I could list off a whole number of things that will start with Mad-Eye Moody." Alicia snapped at him also approaching.

Ron got up, panting, and watched as Harry pointed his wand deliberately at Mundungus's nose.

"Kreacher apologises for the delay in bringing the thief, Master, Mistress," croaked the elf. "Fletcher knows how to avoid capture, has many hidey-holes and accomplices. Nevertheless, Kreacher cornered the thief in the end."

"You've done really well, Kreacher," said Harry, and the elf bowed low.

"Thank you." Alicia smiled

"Right, we've got a few questions for you," Harry told Mundungus, who shouted at once,

"I panicked, okay? I never wanted to come along, no offence, mate, but I never volunteered to die for you, an' that was bleedin' You-Know-Who come flying at me, anyone woulda got outta there, I said all along I didn't wanna do it —"

"For your information, none of the rest of us Disapparated," said Hermione.

"Well, you're a bunch of bleedin' 'eroes then, aren't you, but I never pretended I was up for killing meself —"

"We're not interested in why you ran out on Mad-Eye," said Harry, moving his wand a little closer to Mundungus's baggy, bloodshot eyes. "We already knew you were an unreliable bit of scum."

"Well then, why the 'ell am I being 'unted down by 'ouse-elves? Or is this about them goblets again? I ain't got none of 'em left, or you could 'ave 'em —"

"It's not about the goblets either, although you're getting warmer," said Harry. "Shut up and listen."

"If you hadn't raided our house Dung you wouldn't be here, so you are now going to pay for such a crime, and we know just what you sentence can be." Alicia said smiling down at him from behind Harry, her wand twirling between her fingers. "You stole from us and you stole something important. And because of that you've made things harder, so seeing as we're frustrated, irritated and you're wandless I'd stop wasting our time and just be silent!" she said snarling.

The thief stared up at her, eyes widened as Harry moved his wand closer to him, making Mundungus move his gaze back to it. Harry's wand was now so close to the bridge of Mundungus's nose that Mundungus had gone cross-eyed trying to keep it in view.

"When you cleaned out this house of anything valuable," Harry began, but Mundungus interrupted him again.

"Sirius never cared about any of the junk —"

There was the sound of pattering feet, a blaze of shining copper, an echoing clang, and a shriek of agony: Kreacher had taken a run at Mundungus and hit him over the head with a saucepan.

"Call 'im off, call 'im off, 'e should be locked up!" screamed Mundungus, cowering as Kreacher raised the heavy-bottomed pan again.

"Kreacher, no!" shouted Harry.

Kreacher's thin arms trembled with the weight of the pan, still held aloft.

"Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?"

Ron laughed.

"We need him conscious, Kreacher, but if he needs persuading you can do the honours," said Harry.

"Don't see how one more could do any harm." Alicia mumbled

"Thank you very much, Master," said Kreacher with a bow, and he retreated a short distance, his great pale eyes still fixed upon Mundungus with loathing. Alicia turned back to Mundungus as she kneeled beside Harry.

"It doesn't matter what Sirius thought you still had absolutely no right to take any of it!" she hissed at him.

"When you stripped this house of all the valuables you could find," Harry began again, "you took a bunch of stuff from the kitchen cupboard. There was a locket there. What did you do with it?"

"Why?" asked Mundungus. "Is it valuable?"

"You've still got it!" cried Hermione.

"No, he hasn't," said Ron shrewdly. "He's wondering whether he should have asked more money for it."

"More?" said Mundungus. "That wouldn't have been effing difficult… bleedin' gave it away, di'n' I? No choice."

"Oh well it'll be a serious sting to the heart when I tell you it was Slytherin's locket and it's priceless." Alicia grinned. He stared at her before she continued. "Why'd you give it away?"

"I was selling in Diagon Alley and she come up to me and asks if I've got a license for trading in magical artefacts. Bleedin' snoop. She was gonna fine me, but she took a fancy to the locket an' told me she'd take it and let me off that time, and to fink meself lucky."

"Who was this woman?" asked Harry.

"I dunno, some Ministry hag."

Mundungus considered for a moment, brow wrinkled.

"Little woman. Bow on top of 'er head." Alicia's eyes widened as he frowned and then added, "Looked like a toad."

Alicia's mouth dropped open and Harry dropped his wand. It hit Mundungus on the nose and shot red sparks into his eyebrows, which ignited.

" _Aguamenti_!" screamed Hermione, and a jet of water streamed from her wand, engulfing a spluttering and choking Mundungus. Harry looked up and saw his own shock reflected in Alicia's, Ron's and Hermione's faces.

"Of all the people…" Alicia mumbled looking exasperated but then she grinned slightly "Well guess this is our chance to pay her back in full." she said but the three didn't seem to share her enthusiasm.

"Alicia, we have to get to the Undersecretary of the Minister of Magic." Hermione whispered. Alicia however turned to Mundungus.

"Thanks for that you were a great help but also a disgrace and caused us unnecessary trouble now!" she snapped and pointed her wand. Mundungus made to move but she stunned him instantly, causing the man to flop onto the stone floor and lay still.

"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded.

"Like you're complaining." Alicia said but she kept her eyes on Mundungus and looked in high concentration as she continued to point her wand.

"That should do it." she mumbled. "Kreacher," he ran forwards instantly with his pot. "Can you take Mundungus back to where you last found him, and give him a good enough clonk on the head so that when he wakes up, he feels it. But only one, and then come right back."

"What did you do?" Hermione demanded as Kreacher disappeared with both Mundungus and his copper pot looking absolutely delighted.

"What? You want Mundungus of all people telling everyone we're at Grimmuald Place and were asking questions about Slytherin's locket which is in the Ministry of Magic?" Alicia asked as she stood to her feet. "I erased his memory of the last hour. That way he never knows Kreacher even got him." she said smiling and the three looked at her.

"Brilliant." Ron grinned and she bowed.

"Now the question is, what do we do about Umbridge?" Alicia sighed "Anyone know where she lives?"

None of them answered this question but Harry had a different idea,

"We're gonna break into the Ministry." Hermione gasped and Ron stared shocked.

"You realise we can't just break in, right?" Alicia said "Last time was the middle of the night and Voldemort had made it so there was no one there, so we could get to the Department of Mysteries. This time we have to go during the day to find Umbridge, we'll need disguises and information, we don't even know what floor Umbridge's office is on, or if she's still even got it—"

"We'll need to plan." Harry nodded "But it's our only option, we can't just leave it, we need the Horcrux, it's what this whole things about." Alicia stared at him

"It's weird to think we've been away from the Burrow, seventeen and starting our mission for a week and seem to be succeeding so well, I can see this entire plan failing, before it's already thought of, just so the world can put the balance back together." she admitted

"We've all been to the Ministry, we know the general layout—"

"We used the visitors entrance." Alicia reminded him, "We cant just walk in, disguised or not." Alicia cut him off.

"So we use the offical entrance." Ron had finally spoken up. "I know where it is." Harry waved an arm in his direction as a motion for Alicia to prove his point.

"I thought people apparated?" Alicia said

"There's still an entrance for the employees, like those who live close enough to not apparate." Ron shrugged.

"Alright, that doesn't help us get inside and then know what to do?" Alicia said "This is the ministry. It's over run by Death Eaters." she said the words slowly so they understood.

"We'll need to stake out the entrance." Hermione said though she did not at all sound confident. "Ears drop, see what we can find out, learn information."

"Alicia, Harry and I can use the cloak, take it in turns to listen and watch." Ron said and Hermione and Alicia looked at him

"Why not Hermione?" Alicia said "She'll see and hear more than anyone else?"

"She's on the Muggle Registration." Ron said

"Oh honestly!" Hermione snapped

"And Harry's the most wanted." Alicia shrugged

"So you and I can go." Ron shrugged

"Right cause I'm not wanted too. And you Ron, are supposed to be at home sick. You get seen and your whole families in danger." Alicia said. "The four of us will take it in turns to learn and then… figure out where to go from there."

"Are we seriously going to break into the Ministry?" Hermione whispered

"Yep… and all hells gonna break loose." Alicia believed.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

As August wore on, the square of unkempt grass in the middle of Grimmauld Place shrivelled in the sun until it was brittle and brown. The inhabitants of number twelve were never seen by anybody in the surrounding houses, and nor was number twelve itself. The Muggles who lived in Grimmauld Place had long since accepted the amusing mistake in the numbering that had caused number eleven to sit beside number thirteen.

And yet the square was now attracting a trickle of visitors who seemed to find the anomaly most intriguing. Barely a day passed without one or two people arriving in Grimmauld Place with no other purpose, or so it seemed, than to lean against the railings facing numbers eleven and thirteen, watching the join between the two houses. The lurkers were never the same two days running, although they all seemed to share a dislike for normal clothing. Most of the Londoners who passed them were used to eccentric dressers and took little notice, though occasionally one of them might glance back, wondering why anyone would wear such long cloaks in this heat.

The watchers seemed to be gleaning little satisfaction from their vigil. Occasionally one of them started forward excitedly, as if they had seen something interesting at last, only to fall back looking disappointed.

On the first day of September there were more people lurking in the square than ever before. Half a dozen men in long cloaks stood silent and watchful, gazing as ever at houses eleven and thirteen, but the thing for which they were waiting still appeared elusive. As evening drew in, bringing with it an unexpected gust of chilly rain for the first time in weeks, there occurred one of those inexplicable moments when they appeared to have seen something interesting. The man with the twisted face pointed and his closest companion, a podgy, pallid man, started forward, but a moment later they had relaxed into their previous state of inactivity, looking frustrated and disappointed.

Meanwhile, inside number twelve, Alicia sat with her Pensieve before her and Ron and Hermione at her side looking over at a sheaf of notes and hand-drawn maps that littered the end of the long kitchen table.

The kitchen was almost unrecognisable. Every surface now shone: Copper pots and pans had been burnished to a rosy glow; the wooden tabletop gleamed; the goblets and plates already laid for dinner glinted in the light from a merrily blazing fire, on which a cauldron was simmering. Nothing in the room, however, was more dramatically different than the house-elf who moved around cooking for dinner. He was dressed in a snowy-white towel, his ear hair as clean and fluffy as cotton wool, Regulus's locket bouncing on his thin chest.

"Mistress Alicia, butterbeer?" Kreacher came up to her.

"Thanks Kreacher, you really have a knack for knowing what's needed." she grinned at him.

The three turned as they heard the door upstairs close and a few moments later Harry appeared, but not before his voice reached them.

"I've got news, and you won't like it."

Kreacher hurried forwards quickly as Harry appeared.

"Shoes off, if you please, Master Harry, and hands washed before dinner," croaked Kreacher, seizing the Invisibility Cloak and slouching off to hang it on a hook on the wall, beside a number of old-fashioned robes that had been freshly laundered.

"What's happened?" Ron asked apprehensively.

"Oh no! Let me guess!" Alicia said

"You wont get it." Harry told her as he had a newspaper in his hands.

"Well let me try, it's been frustrating not having a little puzzle to mum over that didn't involve possible death or imprisonment." she said and Harry looked amused before he offered for her to go.

"Okay, you have a newspaper so clearly big news." she said thinking out loud "Todays newspaper no doubt so it'll have something to do with now… it's the first of September so that means Hogwarts is all going back, which is currently missing—" she grinned and looked at Harry "Snape's Headmaster of Hogwarts. Boom!" she said her hands in the air with glee and Harry stared at her.

"No!" Ron and Hermione said but Harry threw down the newspaper on top of their scattered parchment to prove she was right.

A large picture of a familiar, hook-nosed, black-haired man stared up at them all, beneath a headline that read:

SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER

"How?" Ron demanded of Alicia.

"Well who else would be better, they're missing a Headmaster, Snape's been there for seventeen years and he's under Voldemort." Alicia shrugged "Best choice that isn't random." Alicia said

"No one else would have put that together." Ron believed

"Well it was Dumbledore's wish Snape protect the castle and it's students once he was gone." Alicia mumbled and then she stopped "I said that outloud didn't I."

"What do you mean Dumbledore's wish?" Harry demanded and she sighed.

"Well I told you Dumbledore was dying, he knew he didn't have long, Snape or no Snape and I asked him what would happen to Hogwarts, as I believed Voldemort would nab it the second he could and Dumbledore said to me that the safety of the students of Hogwarts has always been his prime concern, and he had made the arrangements to have it all sorted. I guess Snape and he nodded."

"You think he's acting under Dumbledore's order! He killed Dumbledore, he doesn't care about that!" Harry all but bellowed at her.

"I didn't say that, I said it was a contributing factor to my guess." she mumbled "Stop taking your anger at Snape out on me." she snapped at him making him falter.

Hermione despite the two's squabbles had picked up the newspaper.

"So, who's taking the Muggle-studies and Defence Against the Dark Arts post?" Alicia wondered turning to her to change the topic. Hermione and began to read the accompanying story out loud.

" ' _Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was today appointed headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor._

"' _I welcome the opportunity to uphold our finest Wizarding traditions and values_ —' Like committing murder and cutting off people's ears, I suppose! Snape, headmaster! Snape in Dumbledore's study—"

"Yeah, give him five minutes and he'll know where we are." Alicia said as Hermione looked up at her.

"Merlin's pants!" she shrieked, making both Harry and Ron jump. She leapt up from the table and hurtled from the room, shouting as she went, "I'll be back in a minute!"

"'Merlin's pants'?" repeated Ron, looking amused. "She must be upset." He pulled the newspaper toward him and perused the article about Snape.

"The other teachers won't stand for this. McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout all know the truth, they know how Dumbledore died. They won't accept Snape as headmaster. And who are these Carrows?"

"Death Eaters," said Harry. "There are pictures of them inside. They were at the top of the tower when Snape killed Dumbledore, so it's all friends together. And," Harry went on bitterly, drawing up a chair, "I can't see that the other teachers have got any choice but to stay. If the Ministry and Voldemort are behind Snape it'll be a choice between staying and teaching, or a nice few years in Azkaban — and that's if they're lucky. I reckon they'll stay to try and protect the students."

Kreacher came bustling to the table with a large tureen in his hands, and ladled out soup into pristine bowls, whistling between his teeth as he did so.

"Thanks, Kreacher," said Harry, flipping over the _Prophet_ so as not to have to look at Snape's face. "Well, at least we know exactly where Snape is now."

"And he wont come looking for us." Alicia said

"You don't think can't leave his school?" Ron said "Dumbledore did?"

"He doesn't need to come toking for us, he's got Phineas for that." Alicia rolled her eyes as she was given a bowl of onion soup as well and she spooned some into her mouth.

"God Kreacher this is amazing." she smiled after swallowing.

"Thank you Mistress Alicia." she smiled back and stood another scoop. The quality of Kreacher's cooking had improved dramatically ever since he had been given Regulus's locket.

"What do you mean Phineas?" Ron asked

"Come on Ron you slept in a rom with his portrait how many times?" Alicia asked and Harry stared at her. She rolled her eyes.

"Hermione'll show you." she said "Seeing as your brains are clearly so slow." she mumbled.

"There are still a load of Death Eaters watching the house," Harry told Ron as he ate, changing the subject. "more than usual. It's like they're hoping we'll march out carrying our school trunks and head off for the Hogwarts Express."

"Stupid considering it's long gone." Alicia rolled her eyes.

Ron glanced at his watch.

"I've been thinking about that all day. It left nearly six hours ago. Weird, not being on it, isn't it?"

"It'll almost be at the castle too, were there'll be a feast waiting… well, you'd want to hope that hasn't changed." Alicia said thinking.

"They nearly saw me coming back in just now," Harry said. "I landed badly on the top step, and the Cloak slipped."

"I do that every time. Oh, here she is," Ron added, craning around in his seat to watch Hermione reentering the kitchen. "And what in the name of Merlin's most baggy Y Fronts was that about?"

"I remembered this," Hermione panted.

She was carrying a large, framed picture, which she now lowered to the floor before seizing her small, beaded bag from the kitchen sideboard. Opening it, she proceeded to force the painting inside, and despite the fact that it was patently too large to fit inside the tiny bag, within a few seconds it had vanished, like so much else, into the bag's capacious depths.

"Phineas Nigellus," Hermione explained as she threw the bag onto the kitchen table with the usual sonorous, clanking crash. Alicia winced as always when Hermione mistreated it and again was glad she had her own.

"Yeah the portrait that was once Headmaster of Hogwarts so he also is in the Headmaster's office." Alicia said.

"Snape could send Phineas Nigellus to look inside this house for him," Hermione explained to Ron as she resumed her seat. "But let him try it now, all Phineas Nigellus will be able to see is the inside of my handbag."

"Good thinking!" said Ron, looking impressed and Alicia rolled her eyes at him.

"Thank you," smiled Hermione, pulling her soup toward her. "So, Harry, what else happened today?"

"Nothing," said Harry. "Watched the Ministry entrance for seven hours. No sign of her. Saw your dad, though, Ron. He looks fine."

Ron nodded his appreciation of this news. They had agreed that it was far too dangerous to try and communicate with Mr. Weasley while he walked in and out of the Ministry, because he was always surrounded by other Ministry workers. It was, however, reassuring to catch these glimpses of him, even if he did look very strained and anxious.

"Dad always told us most Ministry people use the Floo Network to get to work," Ron said. "That's why we haven't seen Umbridge, she'd never walk, she'd think she's too important."

"And what about that funny old witch and that little wizard in the navy robes?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yeah, the bloke from Magical Maintenance," said Ron.

"How do you know he works for Magical Maintenance?" Hermione asked, her soupspoon suspended in midair.

"Dad said everyone from Magical Maintenance wears navy blue robes."

"But you never told us that!"

Hermione dropped her spoon and pulled toward her the sheaf of notes and maps.

"There's nothing in here about navy blue robes, nothing!" she said, flipping feverishly through the pages.

"Well, does it really matter?"

"Ron, it _all_ matters! If we're going to get into the Ministry and not give ourselves away when they're _bound_ to be on the lookout for intruders, every little detail matters! We've been over and over this, I mean, what's the point of all these reconnaissance trips if you aren't even bothering to tell us —"

"Blimey, Hermione, I forget one little thing —"

"You do realise, don't you, that there's probably no more dangerous place in the whole world for us to be right now than the Ministry of —"

"Well Hogwarts probably counts too." Alicia said "But she's right Ron, anyone could come and talk to us and we need to be able to answer the obvious questions."

"I think we should do it tomorrow," said Harry.

Hermione stopped dead, her jaw hanging; Ron choked a little over his soup and Alicia blinked at him.

"What's so special about tomorrow?" she wondered, making Harry smirk as she addressed the wrong question. Hermione however acted as he expected.

"Tomorrow?" repeated Hermione. "You aren't serious, Harry?"

"I am," said Harry. "I don't think we're going to be much better prepared than we are now even if we skulk around the Ministry entrance for another month. The longer we put it off, the farther away that locket could be. There's already a good chance Umbridge has chucked it away; the thing doesn't open."

"Unless," said Ron, "she's found a way of opening it and she's now possessed."

"Wouldn't make any difference to her, she was so evil in the first place," Harry shrugged.

Hermione was biting her lip, deep in thought.

"We know everything important," Harry went on, addressing Hermione. "We know they've stopped Apparition in and out of the Ministry. We know only the most senior Ministry members are allowed to connect their homes to the Floo Network now, because Ron heard those two Unspeakables complaining about it. And we know roughly where Umbridge's office is, because of what you heard that bearded bloke saying to his mate —"

"'I'll be up on level one, Dolores wants to see me,'" Hermione recited immediately.

"Exactly," said Harry. "We know the entire layout and what's on what floor thanks to Alicia's pencieve and us having already listened to the lift recite the floors. And we know you get in using those funny coins, or tokens, or whatever they are, because I saw that witch borrowing one from her friend —"

"But we haven't got any!"

"If the plan works, we will have," Harry continued calmly.

"I don't know, Harry, I don't know… There are an awful lot of things that could go wrong, so much relies on chance…"

"That'll be true even if we spend another three months preparing," said Harry. "It's time to act."

Alicia hummed as Hermione and Ron looked scared, even Harry wasn't completely confident but he had a point.

They had spent the previous four weeks taking it in turns to don the Invisibility Cloak and spy on the official entrance to the Ministry, which Ron, thanks to Mr. Weasley, had known since childhood. They had tailed Ministry workers on their way in, eavesdropped on their conversations, and learned by careful observation which of them could be relied upon to appear, alone, at the same time every day. Occasionally there had been a chance to sneak a _Daily Prophet_ out of somebody's briefcase. Slowly they had built up the sketchy maps and notes now stacked in front of Hermione.

"I gotta admit, I am sick of sitting around planning and waiting. I'd much rather be doing something. I mean four weeks we've been here with knowledge we're close but unable to proceed. I gotta admit I'm getting antsy." Alicia said

"You're not worried enough." Hermione snapped at her.

"Worry's only gonna weight us down. I've got a wand and I'm already wanted. Not much else can go wrong." she mumbled

"All right," said Ron slowly, "let's say we go for it tomorrow… I think it should just be me, Alicia and Harry."

"Oh, don't start that again!" sighed Hermione. "I thought we'd settled this."

"It's one thing hanging around the entrances under the Cloak, but this is different, Hermione." Ron jabbed a finger at a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ dated ten days previously. "You're on the list of Muggle-borns who didn't present themselves for interrogation!"

"And you're supposed to be dying of spattergroit at the Burrow! If anyone shouldn't go, it's Harry, he's got a ten-thousand-Galleon price on his head —"

"Fine, I'll stay here," said Harry. "Let me know if you ever defeat Voldemort, won't you?"

As Ron and Hermione laughed, pain shot through the scar on Alicia's neck making her pause in eating her onion soup. She scratched the spot as Harry's hand jumped to his forehead, though he moved to brush it through his usual untidy hair as Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Well, if all three of us go we'll have to Disapparate separately," Ron was saying. "We can't all fit under the Cloak anymore."

"Well we know we can get in and out from the front step." Alicia said thinking "I don't think that'll be too difficult. If anything we can go in pairs." she offered. Harry beside her had stood up and Kreacher had hurried forward at once.

"Master has not finished his soup, would Master prefer the savoury stew, or else the treacle tart to which Master is so partial?"

"Thanks, Kreacher, but I'll be back in a minute — er — bathroom."

"Oo, I'll have some of that tart." Alicia smiled and Kreacher hurried away instantly to so do as Harry left the room.

"His scar hurt didn't it!" Hermione said instantly

"You realise if you'd stop badgering him about Occlumency he'd just talk to you outright instead of running away." Alicia said annoyed

"He has to shut him out!" Hermione said

"He can't! Occlumency isn't strong enough!" Alicia snapped and Hermione looked at her surprised

"You don't seem to have an issue."

"I do whenever Harry's emotions are so high and I feel his pain. Harry is drawn into his mind when Voldemort experiences things like that as well, and it's not his fault, it can't be helped."

"Dumbledore wanted—"

"Dumbledore was only half away of their connection at that point." Alicia said and the two looked at her.

"What do you mean—" Ron's voice was cut off as shouts sounded from upstairs.

At once all three of them were on their feet and running up to the bathroom on the first landing.

"Harry! HARRY!" Hermione pounded on the door which was locked. "Harry, open up!" she demanded.

Harry unbolted the door and Hermione toppled inside at once, regained her balance, and looked around suspiciously. Ron was right behind her, looking unnerved as he pointed his wand into the corners of the chilly bathroom.

"What were you doing?" asked Hermione sternly.

"What d'you think I was doing?" asked Harry with feeble bravado.

"You were yelling your head off!" said Ron.

"Oh yeah… I must've dozed off or —"

"Harry, please don't insult our intelligence," said Hermione, taking deep breaths. "We know your scar hurt downstairs, and you're white as a sheet."

Harry looked at Alicia and she shrugged.

"What did you see?" she asked tentatively and Harry sat down on the edge of the bath.

"Fine. I've just seen Voldemort murdering a woman. By now he's probably killed her whole family. And he didn't need to. It was Cedric all over again, they were just _there…_ "

"Harry, you aren't supposed to let this happen anymore!" Hermione cried, her voice echoing through the bathroom. "Dumbledore wanted you to use Occlumency! He thought the connection was dangerous — Voldemort can _use_ it, Harry! What good is it to watch him kill and torture, how can it help?"

"Because it means I know what he's doing," said Harry.

"So you're not even going to _try_ to shut him out?"

"Hermione, I can't. You know I'm lousy at Occlumency, I never got the hang of it."

"You never really tried!" she said hotly. "I don't get it, Harry — do you _like_ having this special connection or relationship or what — whatever —"

She faltered under the look he gave her as he stood up.

"Like it?" he said quietly. "Would _you_ like it?"

"I — no — I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't mean —"

"I hate it, I hate the fact that he can get inside me, that I have to watch him when he's most dangerous. But I'm going to use it."

"Dumbledore —"

"Forget Dumbledore. This is my choice, nobody else's. I want to know why he's after Gregorovitch." "Who?"

"He's a foreign wandmaker," said Harry. "He made Krum's wand and Krum reckons he's brilliant."

"But according to you," said Ron, "Voldemort's got Ollivander locked up somewhere. If he's already got a wandmaker, what does he need another one for?"

"Maybe he agrees with Krum, maybe he thinks Gregorovitch is better… or else he thinks Gregorovitch will be able to explain what my wand did when he was chasing me, because Ollivander didn't know."

"Well clearly he's after some kind of information on Wands. And if Ollivander doesn't know and he's after Gregorovitch it mustn't be a very common answer." Alicia shrugged

"Harry, you keep talking about what your wand did," said Hermione, "but _you_ made it happen! Why are you so determined not to take responsibility for your own power?"

"Because I know it wasn't me! And so does Voldemort, Hermione! We both know what really happened!"

"You weren't there Hermione." Alicia said "And you don't know everything about wands. Honestly it's disconcerting how you keep acting like Harry's making it all up. Bit insulting really."

Hermione looked at her stunned.

"N-No that's now why — it's got nothing to do—"

"Drop it," Ron advised her. "It's up to him. And if we're going to the Ministry tomorrow, don't you reckon we should go over the plan?"

"And finish that soup, I hope Kreacher hasn't put it away." Alicia grinned.

Reluctantly, as the other three could tell, Hermione let the matter rest for the moment, likely to attack again later. In the meantime, they returned to the basement kitchen, where Kreacher served them all stew and treacle tart.

They did not get to bed until late that night, after spending hours going over and over their plan until they could recite it, word perfect, to each other.

The four had managed to get comfortable enough in the house that Alicia was now sleeping back in her old room and Harry was up in Sirius' room. Not long after their arrival had Alicia noticed that all the rooms had been torn apart and uprooted as if someone had searched them. Harry had found something adorable in Sirius' room, a note from their mother to Sirius as well as a half torn photograph.

Alicia had read it several times until she could recite it;

 _Dear Padfoot,_

 _Thank you, thank you, for Harry and Alicia_ _'_ _s birthday presents! It was Harry's_ _favo_ _urite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I_ _'_ _m enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Alicia had demanded a go and she had Harry chasing after her as she zoomed around. She had much more control over it than Harry and managed not to smash anything. Of course, James thought it was so funny, says both are going to be a great Quidditch players, but we_ _'_ _ve had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don_ _'_ _t take our eyes off him when Harry gets going._

 _We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been sweet to us and who dotes on Alicia and Harry. We were so sorry you couldn_ _'_ _t come, but the Order_ _'_ _s got to come first, and the twins_ _are not old enough to know it_ _'s_ _their birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell —_ _also, Dumbledore_ _'_ _s still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard._

 _Bathilda drops in most days, she_ _'_ _s a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I_ _'_ _m not sure he_ _'_ _d be pleased if he knew! I don_ _'_ _t know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore_

She had assumed that her parents knew a few of the secrets of Dumbledore's past. But she'd loved that Sirius had given Harry his first broom and that even at a year old she'd been better at flying than him. She'd made sure to rub that in as a good sister should when she'd read it.

Harry had questioned her about what was she'd said about Dumbledore but Alicia didn't know. She assumed it was to do with all the rumours Rita was sending out, but what was true and what wasn't she was unaware of as of yet. It seemed to bug Harry terribly that he'd known none of all these.

The letter had been torn off at the bottom and so the rest was missing. Harry had found a picture that was also torn, where a black-haired baby was zooming in and out of the picture on a tiny broom, roaring with laughter, and a pair of legs that must have belonged to James was chasing after him.

She hated that Sirius had never shown her such a thing when she'd been here but loved that Harry had found it. She also hated that someone had ripped it as they tore the house apart. She wondered if it had been Snape, but why tare off the bottom of the note?

 _Perhaps he wanted mums signature?_ and maybe she and Lily had been in the photo too, and Snape had taken only that of Lily who he cared about. She didn't know but as she turned over to fall asleep, it laid there in my dreams, as well as the possibilities of how they'd had a cat and that Bathilda had doted on her. Perhaps if they went to Godric's Hollow after all, Bathilida could explain to them as well the stories of Dumbledore?


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Alicia woke up first the next morning. She grabbed all her things from her room and put them in her bag before moving to the bathroom to do the same, and then proceeded downstairs. Kreacher was ready to greet her looking cheerful.

"Morning Kreacher." she mumbled as she sat.

"Mistress looks tired."

"It probably wasn't smart for us to stay up late going over the plan." she mumbled in response as Kreacher gave her coffee and hot rolls. It began to awaken her as the heat radiated through her body. Today was it, they'd break in. They had so many things set in place but Alicia had a bad feeling, it seemed getting the locket itself might not be hard but there was still something. What if they couldn't come back? Or didn't?

Alicia looked at Kreacher as he made more breakfast.

"Kreacher," he stopped and turned to her

"Yes Mistress, is the coffee okay?"

"It's perfect, but I need to talk to you about something." Alicia got up from her chair and kneeled before the elf, he seemed to realise this was important as she'd gotten down to his level.

"Yes Mistress."

"It's about today. There could be a prospect we don't come back, though I don't see why we wouldn't be able to given it's so well hidden, but just incase I have something I'm gonna need you to do." Alicia said carefully, listening for footsteps.

Kreacher nodded and listened.

"In the case we don't come back this evening, I want you to go to Hogwarts, immediately. If someone else comes knocking at the door, or we never return after the sun sets, do you understand?"

"Kreacher does Miss."

"When you get there, I would like you to go straight to the Headmaster's office, and tell Professor Snape, only when he is alone, that Alicia Potter wanted him to know we have Phineas Nigellus portrait with us, okay? Do not tell him anything else of what we're doing, where we've been or what we've said. He is not to know of the Horcruxes, or of Master Regulus' locket, the real locket, that we found Mundungus, or of the cave and the lake."

"Kreacher understands Mistress."

"This is what I want you to do if anything else happens, whether we leave, don't return or anyone gets into this house who shouldn't and forces us to flee. And Kreacher, most importantly, you cannot tell Harry I asked this of you, okay? That is very important."

"Kreacher will, anything Mistress asks." Alicia nodded thankfully, releasing a breath.

"Thank you Kreacher." she then thought of something else. "Oh, you wouldn't mind passing off another message after you've gone to Hogwarts would you?"

"Not at all Miss," Alicia nodded again

"I'd like you to find Remus Lupin, apologise for Harry and I and that we believed it was of the utmost importance he be with his family. After all, he's a very brave man." Alicia believed and Kreacher nodded. "That request Harry can know."

"Kreacher will Miss. Kreacher will remember it all."

"Thank you Kreacher. I don't know what I'd do without you." Alicia grinned and Kreacher nodded before he rushed to make her something nice to go with her hot rolls.

Hermione was next to arrive in the kitchen and Kreacher moved to give her some breakfast as well.

"Morning Hermione." Alicia smiled

"You're up early." the black haired girl shrugged in response.

Hermione sat and held her coffee before her as she pulled her beaded bag out to start rummaging around in it. Alicia's sat on the table beside the pensieve and her mirror which were the last things she was to put away.

Harry and Ron came down not long later as Hermione held her manic expression she usually had when studying for exams.

"Robes," she said under her breath, acknowledging their presence with a nervous nod and continuing to poke around in her beaded bag, "Polyjuice Potion… Invisibility Cloak… Decoy Detonators… You should each take a couple just in case… Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougat, Extendable Ears…"

No one interrupted or stopped her as the boys sat down and were served breakfast as well. They gulped down their breakfast, Alicia put away her mirror and pensieve with the usual protection charms on them, then they set off upstairs. Kreacher bowed them out and promised to have a steak-and-kidney pie ready for them when they returned. Alicia gave him a smile and thanked him as they went up to the hall.

"Bless him," said Ron fondly, "and when you think I used to fantasise about cutting off his head and sticking it on the wall."

They made their way onto the front step with immense caution: They could see a couple of puffy-eyed Death Eaters watching the house from across the misty square.

Hermione Disapparated with Ron first, then came back for Alicia, Harry to go last. Alicia and Ron were standing in an alleyway where the first phase of their plan was scheduled to take place. It was as yet deserted, except for a couple of large bins; the first Ministry workers did not usually appear here until at least eight o'clock.

There was a pop and Hermione and Harry appeared as the cloak was removed.

"Right then," said Hermione, checking her watch. "She ought to be here in about five minutes. When I've Stunned her —"

"Hermione, we know," said Ron sternly. "And I thought we were supposed to open the door before she got here?"

Hermione squealed.

"I nearly forgot! Stand back —"

She pointed her wand at the padlocked and heavily graffitied fire door beside them, which burst open with a crash. The dark corridor behind it led, as they knew from their careful scouting trips, into an empty theatre. Hermione pulled the door back toward her, to make it look as though it was still closed.

"And now," she said, turning back to face the other two in the alleyway, "we put on the Cloak again —"

"— and we wait," Ron finished, throwing it over Hermione's head like a blanket over a birdcage and rolling his eyes at Harry.

Alicia and Ron crouched behind the bins, the cloak being not big enough while Harry and Hermione stood waiting concealed.

"I think it makes her feel better to recite it, so she doesn't forget." Alicia said to Ron quietly.

Little more than a minute later, there was a tiny _pop_ and a little Ministry witch with flyaway grey hair Apparated feet from them, blinking a little in the sudden brightness; the sun had just come out from behind a cloud. She barely had time to enjoy the unexpected warmth, however, before Hermione's silent Stunning Spell hit her in the chest and she toppled over.

"Nicely done, Hermione," said Ron, emerging from behind a bin beside the theatre door as Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak. Together they carried the little witch into the dark passageway that led backstage. Hermione plucked a few hairs from the witch's head and added them to a flask of muddy Polyjuice Potion she had taken from the beaded bag. Ron was rummaging through the little witch's handbag.

"She's Mafalda Hopkirk," he said, reading a small card that identified their victim as an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office. "You'd better take this, Hermione, and here are the tokens."

He passed her several small golden coins, all embossed with the letters M.O.M., which he had taken from the witch's purse.

Hermione drank the Polyjuice Potion, which was now a pleasant heliotrope colour, and within seconds stood before them, the double of Mafalda Hopkirk. As she removed Mafalda's spectacles and put them on, Harry checked his watch.

"We're running late, Mr. Magical Maintenance will be here any second."

They hurried to close the door on the real Mafalda; Harry, Alicia and Ron threw the Invisibility Cloak over themselves but Hermione remained in view, waiting. Seconds later there was another _pop,_ and a small, ferrety-looking wizard appeared before them.

"Oh, hello, Mafalda."

"Hello!" said Hermione in a quavery voice. "How are you today?"

"Not so good, actually," replied the little wizard, who looked thoroughly downcast.

As Hermione and the wizard headed for the main road, Harry, Alicia and Ron crept along behind them.

"I'm sorry to hear you're under the weather," said Hermione, talking firmly over the little wizard as he tried to expound upon his problems; it was essential to stop him from reaching the street. "Here, have a sweet."

"Eh? Oh, no thanks —"

"I insist!" said Hermione aggressively, shaking the bag of pastilles in his face. Looking rather alarmed, the little wizard took one.

The effect was instantaneous. The moment the pastille touched his tongue, the little wizard started vomiting so hard that he did not even notice as Hermione yanked a handful of hairs from the top of his head.

"Oh dear!" she said, as he splattered the alley with sick. "Perhaps you'd better take the day off!"

"No — no!" He choked and retched, trying to continue on his way despite being unable to walk straight. "I must — today — must go —"

"But that's just silly!" said Hermione, alarmed. "You can't go to work in this state — I think you ought to go to St. Mungo's and get them to sort you out!"

The wizard had collapsed, heaving, onto all fours, still trying to crawl toward the main street.

"You simply can't go to work like this!" cried Hermione.

At last he seemed to accept the truth of her words. Using a repulsed Hermione to claw his way back into a standing position, he turned on the spot and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the bag Ron had snatched from his hand as he went and some flying chunks of vomit.

"Urgh," said Hermione, holding up the skirts of her robe to avoid the puddles of sick. "It would have made much less mess to Stun him too."

"Yeah," said Ron, emerging from under the cloak holding the wizard's bag, "but I still think a whole pile of unconscious bodies would have drawn more attention. Keen on his job, though, isn't he? Chuck us the hair and the potion, then."

"Think something else was going on with him for his persistence?" Alicia offered. Harry shrugged beside her.

Within two minutes, Ron stood before them, as small and ferrety as the sick wizard, and wearing the navy blue robes that had been folded in his bag.

"Weird he wasn't wearing them today, wasn't it, seeing how much he wanted to go? Anyway, I'm Reg Cattermole, according to the label in the back."

"Now wait here," Hermione told Harry and Alicia, who were still under the Invisibility Cloak, "and we'll be back with some hairs for you two."

"You know I think it very bad luck we went last, considering we need to be hidden the most." Alicia mumbled.

"And I think you're very carefree about this." Harry said to her. She shrugged.

"No point standing here trembling, gotta keep my voice strong to impersonate whoever after all."

They waited ten minutes for the two to come back, waiting in the sick-splattered alleyway beside the door concealing the Stunned Mafalda. Finally Ron and Hermione reappeared.

"We don't know who they are," Hermione said, passing Harry several curly black hairs, and Alicia some blonde ones "but he's gone home with a dreadful nosebleed and she's got boils all over her face."

"It's good Fred and George have their own antidotes for them all," Alicia said as she took the polyjuice potion from Hermione and added the hairs.

"Here, Harry, he's pretty tall, you'll need bigger robes…"

She pulled out a set of the old robes Kreacher had laundered for them, and Harry and Alicia both retired to take the potion and change.

Alicia went through the transformation to become a blonde witch with a sharp nose and chin and the type to hold a stern look all the time. Harry however was now more than six feet tall and was powerfully built. He had a beard over his chin and was slightly menacing.

"Blimey, that's scary," said Ron, looking up at Harry, who now towered over him.

"Take one of Mafalda's tokens," Hermione told Harry, also passing one to Alicia, who bunned her hair up on the top of her head to fit the stern witch's persona. "and let's go, it's nearly nine."

They stepped out of the alleyway together. Fifty yards along the crowded pavement there were spiked black railings flanking two flights of steps, one labeled GENTLEMEN, the other LADIES.

"Don't forget what we look like." Alicia advised.

"See you in a moment, then," said Hermione nervously, and she and Alicia tottered off down the steps to LADIES.

They came to a public toilet were people were climbing into the cubicles and then when another went in the first had gone. A few witches were greeting one another as flushes sounded.

"We're…" Alicia began

"Flushing ourselves." Hermione said and Alicia sighed in exasperation.

"How gross." but both girls moved to a cubical, closed the door, and climbed feet first into the toilet. Her shoes and feet stayed dry as she reached for the chain and pulled.

She was sucked down and went flying through a short shoot to come out of one of the fireplaces. She moved forwards out of the way and Hermione came tottering up beside her.

The great Atrium seemed darker than Alicia remembered it. Previously a golden fountain had filled the centre of the hall, casting shimmering spots of light over the polished wooden floor and walls. Now a gigantic statue of black stone dominated the scene. It was rather frightening, this vast sculpture of a witch and a wizard sitting on ornately carved thrones, looking down at the Ministry workers toppling out of fireplaces below them. Engraved in foot-high letters at the base of the statue were the words MAGIC IS MIGHT.

"Of course the elves, Centaurs and goblins wouldn't be seen as equal." Alicia mumbled to Hermione

"Look though." Hermione responded and with a closer peer at the statues she realised the thrones were people. Hundreds and hundreds of naked bodies, men, women, and children, all with rather stupid, ugly faces, twisted and pressed together to support the weight of the handsomely robed wizards.

Alicia pulled a look while Hermione was looking around.

"Psst!" Alicia turned to see the six-footed, bearded man Harry was impersonating with the blue robes maintenance man of Ron beside him. They hurled over towards them.

"You got in all right, then?" Hermione whispered to Harry.

"No, he's still stuck in the bog," said Ron.

"Oh, very funny… It's horrible, isn't it?" she said to Harry, who was staring up at the statue. "Have you seen what they're sitting on? Muggles," whispered Hermione. "In their rightful place. Come on, let's get going."

"Yeah the sooner we get the locket the quicker we can leave with no trouble." Alicia said, scoffing as she completely disagreed that'd happen. Nothing was ever that easy with the four of them.

They joined the stream of witches and wizards moving toward the golden gates at the end of the hall, looking around as surreptitiously as possible, but there was no sign of the distinctive figure of Dolores Umbridge. They passed through the gates and into a smaller hall, where queues were forming in front of twenty golden grilles housing as many lifts. They had barely joined the nearest one when a voice said, "Cattermole!"

They looked around find one of the Death Eaters who had witnessed Dumbledore's death striding toward them. The Ministry workers beside them fell silent, their eyes downcast as fear rippled past them all. The man's scowling, slightly brutish face was somehow at odds with his magnificent, sweeping robes, which were embroidered with much gold thread. Someone in the crowd around the lifts called sycophantically, "Morning, Yaxley!" Yaxley ignored them.

"I requested somebody from Magical Maintenance to sort out my office, Cattermole. It's still raining in there."

Ron looked around as though hoping somebody else would intervene, but nobody spoke.

"Raining… in your office? That's — that's not good, is it?" Ron gave a nervous laugh. Yaxley's eyes widened.

"You think it's funny, Cattermole, do you?"

A pair of witches broke away from the queue for the lift and bustled off.

"No," said Ron, "no, of course —"

"You realise that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife, Cattermole? In fact, I'm quite surprised you're not down there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a pureblood next time."

Hermione had let out a little squeak of horror. Yaxley looked at her. She coughed feebly and turned away. Alicia just stared at Yaxley with a stern expression on her face.

"I — I —" stammered Ron.

"But if _my_ wife were accused of being a Mudblood," said Yaxley, "— not that any woman I married would ever be mistaken for such filth — and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do that job, Cattermole. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," whispered Ron.

"Then attend to it, Cattermole, and if my office is not completely dry within an hour, your wife's Blood Status will be in even graver doubt than it is now."

The golden grille before them clattered open. With a nod and unpleasant smile to Harry, who was evidently expected to appreciate this treatment of Cattermole, Yaxley swept away toward another lift. Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione entered theirs, but nobody followed them: It was as if they were infectious. The grilles shut with a clang and the lift began to move upward.

"What am I going to do?" Ron asked the other two at once; he looked stricken. "If I don't turn up, my wife — I mean, Cattermole's wife —"

"We'll come with you, we should stick together —" began Harry, but Ron shook his head feverishly.

"That's mental, we haven't got much time. You two find Umbridge, I'll go and sort out Yaxley's office — but how do I stop it raining?"

"Try Finite Incantatem," said Hermione at once, "that should stop the rain if it's a hex or curse; if it doesn't, something's gone wrong with an Atmospheric Charm, which will be more difficult to fix, so as an interim measure try Impervius to protect his belongings —"

"Say it again, slowly —" said Ron, searching his pockets desperately for a quill, but at that moment the lift juddered to a halt.

"Finite Incantatem. Impervius." Alicia said slowly and clearly and Ron nodded and began to mutter.

A disembodied female voice said, "Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau," and the grilles slid open again, admitting a couple of wizards and several pale violet paper airplanes that fluttered around the lamp in the ceiling of the lift.

"Morning, Albert," said a bushily whiskered man, smiling at Harry. He glanced over at Alicia, Ron and Hermione as the lift creaked upward once more; Hermione was now whispering frantic instructions to Ron and Alicia stared forwards as if no one was in the lift with her. The wizard leaned toward Harry, leering, and muttered, "Dirk Cresswell, eh? From Goblin Liaison? Nice one, Albert. I'm pretty confident I'll get his job now!"

He winked. Harry smiled back, hoping that this would suffice. The lift stopped; the grilles opened once more.

"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services," said the disembodied witch's voice.

Harry saw Hermione give Ron a little push and he hurried out of the lift, followed by the other wizards, leaving Harry, Alicia and Hermione alone. The moment the golden door had closed Hermione said, very fast, "Actually, Harry, I think I'd better go after him, I don't think he knows what he's doing and if he gets caught the whole thing —"

"Level one, Minister of Magic and Support Staff."

The golden grilles slid apart again and Hermione gasped. Four people stood before them, two of them deep in conversation: a long-haired wizard wearing magnificent robes of black and gold, and a squat, toadlike witch wearing a velvet bow in her short hair and clutching a clipboard to her chest.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

"Ah Mafalda!" said Umbridge, looking at Hermione. "Travers sent you, did he?"

"Y-yes," squeaked Hermione.

"Good, you'll do perfectly well. And Caris, yes I think you can help." Umbridge spoke to the wizard in black and gold. "That's that problem solved, Minister, if Mafalda can be spared for record-keeping and Caris from her work with the Witch Watchers we shall be able to start straightaway." She consulted her clipboard. "Ten people today and one of them the wife of a Ministry employee! Tut, tut… even here, in the heart of the Ministry!" She stepped into the lift beside Hermione and Alicia, as did the two wizards who had been listening to Umbridge's conversation with the Minister. "We'll go straight down, Mafalda, you'll find everything you need in the courtroom. Good morning, Albert, aren't you getting out?"

"Yes, of course," said Harry in Runcorn's deep voice. Harry stepped out of the lift. The golden grilles clanged shut behind him. The lift began to move and Harry slid out of sight before the two girls were forced downwards in the lift. Hermione and Alicia shared a look as the lift descended all the way down to the courtrooms at the bottom level with the Department of Mysteries.

The passageway the lifts opened up to was much different to that of the carpet and wood panels above. It was torch lit and stone made, making it seem rather colder than necessary. Beside them was a distant black door that marked the entrance to the Department of Mysteries.

Umbridge didn't dwell on this but set off for the left hand side that opened to a flight of stairs. Alicia remembered this from Harry's hearing and steamed off after Umbridge with an air of dignity around her, Caris, the women she was impersonating. Hermione hurried after her saying nothing and so did the two men who were accompanying them.

Alicia was quick to notice the unnatural coldness that deepened as they left the lifts far behind them and the small group descended into fog. The cold increased and Alicia instantly understood. They had dementors down here. The cold reached right down into her throat and tore at her lungs. She felt the stealing sense of despair, of hopelessness, filling her, expanding inside as it did when the dementors were present. She looked at Hermione who looked worried and Hermione looked back. Alicia rose a simple eyebrow that would match the stern look on her face that she hoped would reassure her.

They turned a corner and before them was not something happy. Umbridge flicked her wand and immediately a patronus of a cat sped forwards and the entire cold vanished, a protective barrier having been placed before them. The passage before them was that to the courtrooms and was packed with tall, black-hooded figures, their faces completely hidden, their ragged breathing the only sound in the place. The petrified Muggle-borns brought in for questioning sat huddled and shivering on hard wooden benches. Most of them were hiding their faces in their hands, perhaps in an instinctive attempt to shield themselves from the dementors' greedy mouths. Some were accompanied by families, others sat alone. The dementors were gliding up and down in front of them.

Umbridge said nothing as they passed the victims of her wrath and moved straight into the courtroom. This room was not the one Harry had been taken to, it was much smaller, though the ceiling was quite as high; it gave the claustrophobic sense of being stuck at the bottom of a deep well. Even in here there were dementors, though stuck to the corners farthest from the high raised platform in which Umbridge led them.

Yaxley was there waiting for them and looking as grim faced as he had above in the Atrium.

"Ah, Dolores." he greeted

"Yaxley, ready to begin?" she said as she moved up to balustrade and took her place quite comfortable. Yaxley nodded simply as Hermione and Alicia sat beside one another on Umbridge's other side. Umbridge's patronus cat had moved with them and it began to prowl up and down at the foot of the platform. Instantly warmness begun to fill Alicia after the dementors and it was much more comfortable.

"What do we do?" Hermione whispered

"Well we do as we're asked not to draw suspicion." Alicia responded "Just before our hour is up I say we excuse ourselves one at a time to leave."

"What about the Horcrux?" Hermione said under her breath.

"If we get out undetected, we'll be able to come back again and we'll have a much better idea of what we're doing as well. We don't have time to deal with anything more." Alicia decided as she pulled before her what had been left for the two to do for Umbridge.

Hermione was supposed to be recording the interview Umbridge was to conduct while Alicia had a stack of files before her to sort through on each of the victims who were lined up outside, the first being called in by Umbridge, a frightened man who looked at the dementors in the room. There was a seat in the middle of the courtroom as there had been for Harry, but these, unlike the ones that had been with Harry, clanged into life and strapped him to the chair, like they had Karkaroff in Dumbledore's memory so many years ago.

Umbridge first checked the identity of her victim and then addressed where he'd gotten his wand from. The man excused and argued about being half blood, his father being a wizard who'd worked here but Umbridge continued her questioning as if he hadn't spoken. It caused quite the disturbance and Yaxley got impatient quickly, spitting harsh words at him. Hermione continued to record while Alicia wrote down some words of importance to hand Umbridge about the next victim. She recognised the name instantly. It was the wife of the man Ron was impersonating. She felt so sorry for her, as he would likely never come to her aid.

Umbridge continued on the man looking gleefully as she was being able to punish him, asking for proof and using a questionnaire apparently done by the man against him. When she was done, the man was being escorted from the room, convicted of felony.

"No, no, I'm half-blood, I'm half-blood, I tell you! My father was a wizard, he _was,_ look him up, Arkie Alderton, he's a well-known broomstick designer, look him up, I tell you — get your hands off me, get your hands off —"

"This is your final warning," said Umbridge's soft voice, magically magnified so that it sounded clearly over the man's desperate screams. "If you struggle, you will be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss."

The man's screams subsided, but dry sobs echoed through the corridor.

"Take him away," said Umbridge.

Two dementors appeared in the doorway of the courtroom, their rotting, scabbed hands clutching the upper arms of a wizard who appeared to be fainting. They glided away down the corridor with him, and the darkness they trailed behind them swallowed him from sight.

"Next — Mary Cattermole," called Umbridge.

Next came in a small women, trailing from head to toe with her hard hair smoothed back into a bun and wearing long plain robes. Her face was completely bloodless and she shuddered as she passed the dementors.

"Sit down," said Umbridge in her soft, silky voice.

Mrs. Cattermole stumbled to the single seat in the middle of the floor beneath the raised platform. The moment she had sat down, chains clinked out of the arms of the chair and bound her there.

"You are Mary Elizabeth Cattermole?" asked Umbridge.

Mrs. Cattermole gave a single, shaky nod.

"Married to Reginald Cattermole of the Magical Maintenance Department?"

Mrs. Cattermole burst into tears.

"I don't know where he is, he was supposed to meet me here!" Umbridge ignored her.

"Mother to Maisie, Ellie, and Alfred Cattermole?"

Mrs. Cattermole sobbed harder than ever.

"They're frightened, they think I might not come home —"

"Spare us," spat Yaxley. "The brats of Mudbloods do not stir our sympathies."

Alicia however felt something else and she looked around the room searching for it. Nothing had changed beside the women who'd entered but that didn't mean there wasn't something there. She felt a slight buzz within her and decided it could only come from one place.

 _Harry?_ She thought confused

 _I'm here. I have the cloak._ Alicia simply nodded curtly and slightly and looked at Hermione beside her. She leaned ever so slightly before her as Mrs Cattermole sobbed loudly.

"Harry's here." she whispered and Hermione looked at her surprised but Alicia turned back to the women before them.

Umbridge rose her voice to address the women before them again and Alicia couldn't help but jump ever so slightly as a voice sounded from behind them.

"I'm behind you," Harry whispered between the two.

Unlike Alicia who might as well have only flinched Hermione jumped so violently that she nearly overturned her in bottle. Glancing at Umbridge and Yaxley though Alicia found them too concentrated on Mrs Cattermole and Hermione's actions went unnoticed.

"Little warning next time, maybe a tap on the shoulder." Alicia said silently and lightly.

She didn't receive a response but Umbridge was speaking again.

"A wand was taken from you upon your arrival at the Ministry today, Mrs. Cattermole," Umbridge was saying. "Eight-and-three-quarter inches, cherry, unicorn-hair core. Do you recognise that description?"

Mrs. Cattermole nodded, mopping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Could you please tell us from which witch or wizard you took that wand?"

"T-took?" sobbed Mrs. Cattermole. "I didn't t-take it from anybody. I b-bought it when I was eleven years old. It — it — it — _chose_ me."

She cried harder than ever.

Umbridge laughed a soft girlish laugh that Alicia had heard similarly when the women ad been punishing students two years ago at Hogwarts. She leaned forward over the barrier, the better to observe her victim, and something gold swung forward too, and dangled over the void: the locket.

Alicia saw it and her eyes widened ever so slightly before she grinned feeling smug and excited.

Hermione had seen it too, though she let out a little squeak, but Umbridge and Yaxley, still intent upon their prey, were deaf to everything else.

"No," said Umbridge, "no, I don't think so, Mrs. Cattermole. Wands only choose witches or wizards. You are not a witch. I have your responses to the questionnaire that was sent to you here — Mafalda, pass them to me."

Umbridge held out a small hand and Hermione's hands were shaking with shock. She fumbled in a pile of documents balanced on the chair beside her that Alicia had picked up her in bottle to stop herself from tipping it. Finally Hermione withdrew a sheaf of parchment with Mrs. Cattermole's name on it.

"That's — that's pretty, Dolores," she said, pointing at the pendant gleaming in the ruffled folds of Umbridge's blouse.

"What?" snapped Umbridge, glancing down. "Oh yes — an old family heirloom," she said, patting the locket lying on her large bosom. "The _S_ stands for Selwyn… I am related to the Selwyns… Indeed, there are few pure-blood families to whom I am not related… A pity," she continued in a louder voice, flicking through Mrs. Cattermole's questionnaire, "that the same cannot be said for you. ' _Parents_ ' _professions: greengrocers._ ' "

Yaxley laughed jeeringly. Below, the fluffy silver cat patrolled up and down, and the dementors stood waiting in the corners.

Alicia felt hot but it wasn't with her anger. All she'd simply done was pursed her lips and think of which hex she'd like to use to steal the locket Umbridge used to bolster her own pure-blood credentials. Alicia wondered what would happen if everyone knew she stole it from a petty criminal.

Harry however was angered by the lie so much it flooded into Alicia and she saw his wand appear out of no where from the corner of her eye. He seemed so angry he didn't bother conceal it. " _Stupefy_!"

There was a flash of red light; Umbridge crumpled and her forehead hit the edge of the balustrade: Mrs. Cattermole's papers slid off her lap onto the floor and, down below, the prowling silver cat vanished. Ice-cold air hit them like an oncoming wind: Yaxley, confused, looked around for the source of the trouble and saw Harry's disembodied hand and wand pointing at him. He tried to draw his own wand, but too late: " _Stupefy_!"

Yaxley slid to the ground to lie curled on the floor.

"Harry!"

"Hermione, if you think I was going to sit here and let her pretend —"

"Harry, Mrs. Cattermole!"

With the Patronus gone, the dementors were sliding towards the women in which was still chained to a chair. Their masters were gone and there was nothing stopping them from a meal, allowing them to abandon restraint.

Mrs. Cattermole let out a terrible scream of fear as a slimy, scabbed hand grasped her chin and forced her face back.

Alicia moved fast and with a wave of her hand a white silver owl sprung forth from her wand and whooshed straight at the dementors who fell straight back to the shadows again.

Harry had thrown off the invisibility cloak as the light from the owl was more warming than the cat's had been. Alicia had happier memories than Umbridge in which was not at all surprised.

"Get the Horcrux," Harry told Hermione.

He ran back down the steps, stuffing the Invisibility Cloak back into his bag, and approached Mrs. Cattermole.

"You?" she whispered, gazing into his face. "But — but Reg said you were the one who submitted my name for questioning!"

"Did I?" muttered Harry, tugging at the chains binding her arms.

"Well, I've had a change of heart. _Diffindo_!" Nothing happened. "Hermione, how do I get rid of these chains?"

"Wait, I'm trying something up here —"

"Hermione, we're surrounded by dementors!"

"I know that, Harry, but if she wakes up and the locket's gone—"

"Hurry up with you gemini spell Hermione." Alicia said as she ran down to Harry. "Relashio!" the chains clicked and withdrew immediately. "You need to get going, our hours almost up." she believed "Hermione!"

" — I need to duplicate it — _Geminio_! There… That should fool her…"

Mrs. Cattermole looked just as frightened as ever before.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"You're going to leave here with us," said Harry, pulling her to her feet. "Go home, grab your children, and get out, get out of the country if you've got to. Disguise yourselves and run. You've seen how it is, you won't get anything like a fair hearing here."

"Harry," said Hermione, "how are we going to get out of here with all those dementors outside the door?"

"Patronuses," said Harry, pointing his wand at his own. " _Expecto Patronum_!" Harry's stag leapt from his wand and joined Alicia's owl which had been making rounds of the room to keep the dementors in check. The stag slowed and walked, still gleaming brightly, toward the door. "As many as we can muster; do yours, Hermione."

" _Expec_ — _Expecto patronum,_ " said Hermione. Nothing happened.

"It's the only spell she ever has trouble with," Harry told a completely bemused Mrs. Cattermole. "Bit unfortunate, really… Come on, Hermione…"

"Happiness Hermione." Alicia reminded her

" _Expecto patronum_!"

A silver otter burst from the end of Hermione's wand and swam gracefully through the air to join the stag and owl.

"C'mon," said Harry, and he led Hermione and Mrs. Cattermole to the door.

When the Patronuses glided out of the dungeon there were cries of shock from the people waiting outside. Harry looked around; the dementors were falling back on both sides of them, melding into the darkness, scattering before the silver creatures.

"It's been decided that you should all go home and go into hiding with your families," Harry told the waiting Muggle-borns, who were dazzled by the light of the Patronuses and still cowering slightly. "Go abroad if you can. Just get well away from the Ministry. That's the — er — new official position. Now, if you'll just follow the Patronuses, you'll be able to leave from the Atrium."

"No dawdling or you'll be left behind." Alicia said.

They managed to get up the stone steps without being intercepted, but as they approached the lifts Harry started to have misgivings.

"We can't get out of the atrium with the patronuses."

"We wont have to, the dementors will be left here, they won't follow." Alicia said "They can't really." she shrugged

"We'll still attract attention."

"We're likely to regardless." Alicia mumbled as she could feel her polyjuice potion wearing off slowly. As she said this the lift clanged to a halt before them and the grate doors opened.

"Reg!" screamed Mrs. Cattermole, and she threw herself into Ron's arms. "Runcorn let me out, he attacked Umbridge and Yaxley, and he's told all of us to leave the country, I think we'd better do it, Reg, I really do, let's hurry home and fetch the children and — why are you so wet?"

"Water," muttered Ron, disengaging himself. "Harry, they know there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge's office door, I reckon we've got five minutes if that —"

Hermione's Patronus vanished with a _pop_ as she turned a horror-struck face to Harry.

"Hole in a door? What—" Alicia cut off as something fluttered through her from Harry and he felt guilty. "What did you do?" she demanded of him.

"Harry, if we're trapped here — !"

"Imma blast my way out." Alicia said.

"We won't have to if we move fast," said Harry. He addressed the silent group behind them, who were all gawping at him.

"Who's got wands?"

About half of them raised their hands.

"Okay, all of you who haven't got wands need to attach yourself to somebody who has. We'll need to be fast before they stop us. Come on."

They managed to cram themselves into two lifts. Harry's Patronus stood sentinel before the golden grilles as they shut and the lifts began to rise, Alicia's owl upon it's antlers.

"Level eight," said the witch's cool voice, "Atrium."

It was clear at once that they were in trouble. The Atrium was full of people moving from fireplace to fireplace, sealing them off.

"Harry!" squeaked Hermione. "What are we going to — ?"

"STOP!" Harry thundered, and the powerful voice of Runcorn echoed through the Atrium: The wizards sealing the fireplaces froze. "Follow me," he whispered to the group of terrified Muggle- borns, who moved forward in a huddle, shepherded by Ron and Hermione,Alicia streaking forwards in the lead.

"What's up, Albert?" said the same balding wizard who had followed Harry out of the fireplace earlier. He looked nervous.

"This lot need to leave before you seal the exits," said Harry with all the authority he could muster.

The group of wizards in front of him looked at one another. "We've been told to seal all exits and not let anyone —"

" _Are you contradicting me_?" Harry blustered. "Would you like me to have your family tree examined, like I had Dirk Cresswell's?"

"Sorry!" gasped the balding wizard, backing away. "I didn't mean nothing, Albert, but I thought… I thought they were in for questioning and…"

"Their blood is pure," said Harry, and his deep voice echoed impressively through the hall. "Purer than many of yours, I daresay. Off you go," he boomed to the Muggle-borns, who scurried forward into the fireplaces and began to vanish in pairs. The Ministry wizards hung back, some looking confused, others scared and resentful. Then:

"Mary!"

Mrs. Cattermole looked over her shoulder. The real Reg Cattermole, no longer vomiting but pale and wan, had just come running out of a lift.

"R-Reg?"

She looked from her husband to Ron, who swore loudly.

"We shoulda stunned him." Alicia mumbled to Ron.

The balding wizard gaped, his head turning ludicrously from one Reg Cattermole to the other.

"Hey — what's going on? What is this?"

"Seal the exit! SEAL IT!"

Yaxley had burst out of another lift and was running toward the group beside the fireplaces, into which all of the Muggle-borns but Mrs. Cattermole had now vanished. As the balding wizard lifted his wand, Harry raised an enormous fist and punched him, sending him flying through the air. Alicia looked surprised.

"He's been helping Muggle-borns escape, Yaxley!" Harry shouted.

The balding wizard's colleagues set up an uproar, under cover of which Ron grabbed Mrs. Cattermole, pulled her into the still-open fireplace, and disappeared. Confused, Yaxley looked from Harry to the punched wizard, while the real Reg Cattermole screamed, "My wife! Who was that with my wife? What's going on?"

Yaxley's head turned and an inkling of the truth dawn in that brutish face.

Alicia grabbed the real Reg Cattemole and yanked him into the fireplace after her as Harry turned to Hermione.

They came shooting out of toilet and into a cubical where Alicia threw open the door where Ron was standing with Mrs Cattermole.

"Reg, I don't understand —"

"Let go, I'm not your husband, you've got to go home!"

Harry and Hermione appeared behind.

"Look we impersonated your husband to get into the ministry." Alicia said as she moved with the real Reg's arm still in her grasp. "Be satisfied we saved your life, here's your real husband now I suggest you run, like us." she grinned as there was a noise in the cubical behind them.

"LET'S GO!" Harry yelled. Alicia and Harry moved in sync as Alicia grabbed Ron, Harry grabbed Hermione and the two twins grabbed one another. Harry turned on the spot and they were engulfed by darkness.

Alicia held tight to Ron while Harry seemed like he was being dragged away, something was wrong with either him and Hermione and instantly Alicia imagined Yaxley had something to do with it.

The door of number twelve Grimmauld Place came into sight with it's serpent knocker and Alicia went to breath. Only a slight amount of air entered her lungs before there was a scream and a flash of purple light; Harry's hand felt like it was slipping and Alicia grabbed it in a vicelike grip as she did the same to Ron as Grimmauld Place vanished from before her.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Alicia's feet hit the floor and Harry and Ron both tumbled away from her. Her eyes stung unpleasantly as there was a dazzle of green and gold and twigs and leaves sat below her feet. Alicia turned to find she was the only one standing, even Hermione was lying on the floor.

Alicia's knees sunk and she took a breath as she looked around. Sunlight was streaming through a canopy of leaves above her and trees rose up out of the ground in every direction.

She breathed in the musky and clean air of the forest, but it was interrupted by something else and Alicia turned to look around. It was blood and Alicia instantly knew where it came from. Hermione was up and at Ron's head while Alicia dove for her bag which had landed beside her.

Harry was pushing himself up and he too saw Hermione and Ron, noticing that the latter was drenched in blood on his left side and his face stood out, greyish-white, against the leaf-strewn earth. The Polyjuice Potion was wearing off now: Ron was halfway between Cattermole and himself in appearance, his hair turning redder and redder as his face drained of the little colour it had left.

Alicia was rummaging through her bag as Harry took Ron in.

"What's happened to him?"

"Splinched," said Hermione, her fingers already busy at Ron's sleeve, where the blood was wettest and darkest.

Harry watched, horrified, as she tore open Ron's shirt a great chunk of flesh was missing, scooped cleanly away as though by a knife.

"Harry, quickly, in my bag, there's a small bottle labeled 'Essence of Dittany' —"

"Got it!" Alicia declared and she instantly tossed it to Hermione who grabbed it. Ron's eyes were now half-closed, strips of white eyeball all that were visible between his lids.

"He's fainted," said Hermione, who was also rather pale; she no longer looked like Mafalda, though her hair was still grey in places. "Unstopper it for me, my hands are shaking."

Alicia had her wand at the tip and it sprang out like Dumbledore had done so many times last year and Hermione took it. She poured three drops of the potion onto the bleeding wound and greenish smoke billowed upward and when it had cleared, the bleeding had stopped. The wound now looked several days old; new skin stretched over what had just been open flesh.

"Wow," said Harry.

"It's all I feel safe doing," said Hermione shakily. "There are spells that would put him completely right, but I daren't try in case I do them wrong and cause more damage… He's lost so much blood already…" she looked at Alicia but she shook her head too.

"Not until he's better." she said "He needs to be stronger before we can even think of anything else."

"How did he get hurt? I mean" — Harry shook his head, "why are we here? I thought we were going back to Grimmauld Place?" Alicia looked at her as well.

Hermione took a deep breath. She looked close to tears.

"Harry, I don't think we're going to be able to go back there."

"What d'you — ?"

"As we Disapparated, Yaxley caught hold of me and I couldn't get rid of him, he was too strong, and he was still holding on when we arrived at Grimmauld Place, and then — well, I think he must have seen the door, and thought we were stopping there, so he slackened his grip and I managed to shake him off and I brought us here instead!"

Alicia stared at Hermione. So the only real home in which she'd finally gotten used to, was also out of commission.

"But then, where's he? Hang on… You don't mean he's at Grimmauld Place? He can't get in there?"

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she nodded.

"Harry, I think he can. I — I forced him to let go with a Revulsion Jinx, but I'd already taken him inside the Fidelius Charm's protection. Since Dumbledore died, we're Secret-Keepers, so I've given him the secret, haven't I?"

"But… Kreacher—" Harry began.

"Kreacher's fine." Alicia cut in and Harry looked at her.

"How do you know?"

"Because I gave Kreacher a specific set of instructions incase we didn't get home or someone else came to the house who shouldn't be there." she confessed "Kreacher wont be there anymore and he'll be safe." she assured

"When did you do that?" Harry demanded

"This morning, before you all woke up. I worried in case something happened and we didn't return, or couldn't return and so I told Kreacher what to do in the case it ever happened." Alicia looked at him "He's fine. I also asked him to go to Lupin if that was the case, after all if we couldn't return to Grimmauld Place, no one else could either. The Order will surely all be aware in a couple of days."

"Alicia… oh Harry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be stupid, it wasn't your fault! If anything, it was mine…"

Harry put his hand in his pocket and drew out Mad-Eye's eye. Hermione recoiled, looking horrified while Alicia eyed it.

"Umbridge had stuck it to her office door, to spy on people. I couldn't leave it there… but that's how they knew there were intruders."

"Oh Harry!" Alicia said but she didn't blame him for it either.

Before Hermione could add to Alicia's scolding, Ron groaned and opened his eyes. He was still grey and his face glistened with sweat.

"How d'you feel?" Hermione whispered.

"Lousy," croaked Ron, wincing as he felt his injured arm. "Where are we?"

"In the woods where they held the Quidditch World Cup," said Hermione. "I wanted somewhere enclosed, undercover, and this was —"

"— the first place you thought of," Harry finished for her, glancing around at the apparently deserted glade.

"Let's hope then that history doesn't repeat." Alicia said as the last time they'd gone somewhere by a thought that'd just popped into their head last minute, they'd been found from Dead Eaters. It seemed Ron and Harry were thinking the same.

"D'you reckon we should move on?" Ron asked Harry

"I dunno."

Ron still looked pale and clammy. He had made no attempt to sit up.

"We can't." Alicia said "We can't apparate until you gain some colour and some strength back." she looked at Harry.

"Let's stay here for now," Harry said.

Alicia stood up and, looking relieved, Hermione sprang to her feet as well.

"Shall we?" Alicia asked and Hermione nodded.

"Where are you going?" asked Ron.

"If we're staying, we should put some protective enchantments around the place," she replied and the two girls moved opposite one another as they walked in a wide circle around Harry and Ron. Both of them were waving their wands and Hermione muttered under her breath as they seemed to move in sync.

" _Salvio Hexia_ … _Protego Totalum_ … _Repello Muggletum_ … _Muffliato_ …" Hermione muttered. "You could get out the tent, Harry…"

"Tent?"

"In Alicia's bag!"

"Is it in mine?" Alicia asked, not being able to recall as she moved her wand again and heat hazes washed over their clearing, the spells creating disturbances in the air.

"In the… of course," said Harry.

Alicia heard Harry use a summoning charm before the tent emerged in a lumpy mass of canvas, rope, and poles.

"I thought this belonged to that bloke Perkins at the Ministry?" he asked, starting to disentangle the tent pegs.

"Apparently he didn't want it back, his lumbago's so bad," said Hermione, now performing complicated figure-of-eight movements with her wand, "so Ron's dad said I could borrow it. _Erecto_!" she added, pointing her wand at the misshapen canvas, which in one fluid motion rose into the air and settled, fully constructed, onto the ground before Harry, out of whose startled hands a tent peg soared, to land with a final thud at the end of a guy rope.

" _Cave Inimicum,_ " Hermione finished with a skyward flourish. "That's as much as I can do. Alicia?"

"I'm out." she shrugged as she turned from her place.

"At the very least, we should know they're coming, I can't guarantee it will keep out Vol —"

"Don't say the name!" Ron cut across her, his voice harsh. Harry and Hermione looked at each other as Alicia blinked at him.

"I'm sorry," Ron said, moaning a little as he raised himself to look at them, "but it feels like a — a jinx or something. Can't we call him You-Know-Who — please?"

"Dumbledore said fear of a name —" began Harry.

"In case you hadn't noticed, mate, calling You-Know-Who by his name didn't do Dumbledore much good in the end," Ron snapped back. "Just — just show You-Know-Who some respect, will you?"

" _Respect_?" Harry repeated, but Hermione shot him a warning look; apparently he was not to argue with Ron while the latter was in such a weakened condition.

"Actually… that might be it." Alicia whispered, ignoring Ron wanting to give Voldemort of all people respect.

"What is?" Harry snapped at her.

"Remember what I said about a taboo? Well how many people say his name?" she asked him "Only those who were under Dumbledore and appose him. If you're gonna curse a word, what better one to use?" Harry stared at her.

"I'm with Ron, no more saying the name. But not due to _respect._ " she spat the word at Ron. She flicked her wand and Ron, who gasped rose into the air and went through the tent opening to be dropped onto one of the beds inside.

The three were very used to the interior of the tent as it had been used by them three years ago for the Quidditch World Cup in this very spot. It still held the same look: a small flat, complete with bathroom and tiny kitchen. Despite having been moved so little Ron had gone whiter than before and settled into the mattress with his eyes closed, not speaking for a while.

"I'll make some tea," said Hermione breathlessly, pulling kettle and mugs from the depths of her bag and heading toward the kitchen.

Silence enveloped them for a while as they drank the tea, seeming not much different to after Moody had passed.

After a minute or two, Ron broke the silence.

"What d'you reckon happened to the Cattermoles?"

"With any luck, they'll have got away," said Hermione, clutching her hot mug for comfort. "As long as Mr. Cattermole had his wits about him, he'll have transported Mrs. Cattermole by Side-Along- Apparition and they'll be fleeing the country right now with their children. That's what Harry and Alicia told them to do."

"I feel bad we chose Mr Cattermole to impersonate, she was down in those dungeons with the Dementors without him cause of us." Alicia mumbled.

"Blimey, I hope they escaped," said Ron, leaning back on his pillows. The tea seemed to be doing him good; a little of his colour had returned. "I didn't get the feeling Reg Cattermole was all that quick-witted, though, the way everyone was talking to me when I was him. God, I hope they made it…If they both end up in Azkaban because of us…"

"If they do then the sooner we do our job, the sooner they'll be released." Alicia admitted.

Ron having such care for the Cattermoles had Hermione watching him with such tenderness that Alicia smiled into her cup of tea. Harry however who also noticed her expression looked surprised.

"So, have you got it?" Harry asked her, causing Alicia to look at him before she remembered. Ron being splinted and them running from Yaxley had driven it from her mind momentarily.

"Got — got what?" Hermione said with a little start.

"What did we just go through all that for? The locket! Where's the locket?"

" _You got it_?" shouted Ron, raising himself a little higher on his pillows. "No one tells me anything! Blimey, you could have mentioned it!"

"Well, we were running for our lives from the Death Eaters, weren't we?" said Hermione. "Here."

And she pulled the locket out of the pocket of her robes and handed it to Ron.

It was as large as a chicken's egg. An ornate letter _S,_ inlaid with many small green stones, glinted dully in the diffused light shining through the tent's canvas roof.

"There isn't any chance someone's destroyed it since Kreacher had it?" asked Ron hopefully. "I mean, are we sure it's still a Horcrux?"

"I'll tell you, here." Alicia said and she held her hand out. Hermione took it from Ron and handed it to her. Instantly Alicia felt herself feel colder and the thing in her hand she wanted to throw away as if an infection as seeping into her from it.

"How can you tell?" Ron asked as Alicia shoved it back into Hermione's hands, who looked surprised.

"When we faced Riddle something about him screamed wrong, distorted, evil and I just… I was so on guard by it." Alicia said "This gives me the same feeling."

"You can sense his soul pieces?" Hermione said

"I can sense something and when your souls been ripped like that it's no surprise it feels so tainted, it also belongs to him so…" she mumbled

"Is that enough to be sure?" Ron asked tentatively and Alicia shot him a look for his doubt in her.

"I think so," said Hermione, looking at it closely. "There'd be some sign of damage if it had been magically destroyed."

Hermione passed it to Harry who turned it over in his fingers.

"I reckon Kreacher's right," said Harry. "We're going to have to work out how to open this thing before we can destroy it."

"The Diary and the ring weren't really incased in much but the Diary had a hole stabbed through it and the stone on the ring was cracked in two…" Alicia mumbled "This one will be harder because the thing is actually enclosed." she believed as she thought.

Harry seemed ready to try and open it with his fingers, regardless of the uselessness of that. He tried Alohamora but that also didn't work. He handed it back to Hermione and Ron before it hit Alicia. She however simply held it up and looked at it.

"It'd have to be done with only something he could do…" Alicia whispered "Otherwise it wouldn't keep it protected."

"Dumbledore would be able to do it." Harry mumbled

"Probably." Alicia said as she passed it back to Ron, who looked it over with annoyance and held it in his fist.

"I can see who you can tell Alicia." he said and she looked at him surprised.

"What?" Hermione asked

"Can't you feel it?" Ron asked in a hushed voice

"What d'you mean?" Ron passed the Horcrux to Harry who held it tightly for a moment.

"You can feel something's living inside it." Alicia whispered

"What are we going to do with it?" Hermione asked.

"We can't exactly leave it lying around, especially if we have to pack up quickly." Alicia said

"We'll keep it safe till we work out how to destroy it," Harry replied, and he hung the chain around his own neck, dropping the locket out of sight beneath his robes.

"I think we should take it in turns to keep watch outside the tent," he added to Hermione and Alicia, standing up and stretching. "And we'll need to think about some food as well. You stay there," he added sharply, as Ron attempted to sit up and turned a nasty shade of green.

"I'll deal with the food, Alicia," Hermione said to her and she looked confused for a moment. "You're best at piecing information together, I'm sure there'll be something Dumbledore said that you can find to help us work out how to destroy it." Alicia pursed her lips and felt like a heavy weight had fallen upon her.

"Please don't expect it to be instantaneous." she said.

Alicia moved to her bag and pulled out her pensieve, which she put on the table between the armchairs in the centre of the room. Beside it she also placed the mirror, in which Fred had not appeared within since after the wedding, something Alicia worried about as she stared at it while it reflected the roof of the tent.

Harry however pulled out the Sneakoscope Hermione had given him for his birthday and set carefully upon another the table in the tent. For the rest of the day the three of them, Ron excluded because of his injuries, spent the rest of the day sharing the role of lookout. However, the Sneakoscope remained silent and still upon its point all day, and whether because of the protective enchantments and Muggle-repelling charms the two girls had spread around them, or because people rarely ventured this way, their patch of wood remained deserted, apart from occasional birds and squirrels.

Alicia took watched as Hermione went looking for something to eat, finding some mushrooms under nearby trees and stewing them in a billycan. Even Alicia had not thought to grab some food as they expected Kreacher to be cooking for them, even with all her preparations. The mushrooms weren't really enough to satisfy them, Ron had, after a few mouthfuls, pushed his portion away, looking queasy; Harry, Alicia knew, had only persevered so as not to hurt Hermione's feelings.

Harry took the watch over from Alicia who went and sat before her pensieve and stared down at the gaseous contents within it.

They had a horcrux, but had no way of knowing how to get rid of it. They also had no idea where to go with the next one. But Dumbledore surely had not left them completely defenceless like this? They knew basilisk venom was one thing, but they could not go back to Hogwarts to collect them and smash the one they had… or at least it would be pointless to do so until they had more. Hogwarts wasn't safe for them, if they went then no matter what side Alicia believed Snape to be on, he'd have to act in order to keep his place, and with the Carrows he couldn't pretend otherwise. And Alicia wouldn't blame him. He'd have to in order to survive.

The question was then, if they decided to leave the destroying of horcruxes till they had them all and went to Hogwarts to end them, where were the next ones. Clearly it would be much too hard to stab the Snake with a fang of a Basilisk without getting mauled by the serpent so that theory was out for that, but what about the others. Where might the cup be? It and the snake were the only ones they were completely sure about and it seemed the best one to next focus upon.

Where was somewhere the cup could be related to Voldemort… he'd gone to the cave to do some torturing and therefore hid one there. He hid one in the Gaunts house, something that was not sentimental to Voldemort but the original home of the ring he hid there, the place his mother came from.

If they were going on sentimentality then Alicia believed Hogwarts was somewhere Voldemort was likely to hide something. He'd been there for seven years, he learnt of the horcruxes and created his first, the ring, while in his sixth year. Not only that but he'd applied twice for a teaching role, he either wanted something that was there or wanted to plant something.

If there was one that he'd managed to do before he left, they wouldn't want to go there till last, use one of the fangs to destroy it with.

Voldemort hadn't gotten the cup until after he'd finished Hogwarts though so that couldn't be there.

 _Unless he put it there when he came for a job but… it doesn't seem likely._

Ron, who couldn't move and had nothing to do, was watching Alicia as she stared at her pensieve, not touching it or moving, just staring. He only found it amusing to do because her expression changed with every change of thought in her mind.

Alicia slumped her head into her hand as she stared at the bright gaseous substance that lit her face up above that of the dim light in the tent.

The cup… if you wanted to hide something and not let anyone else get it… it was too important to put it just anywhere. You couldn't just find a tree hollow.

Dumbledore seemed to believe Voldemort would put it places sentimental… well he couldn't feel sentimentality but places of that nature. The dairy was the exception as it was made, not as a safeguard, but for a purpose of attack.

Alicia didn't know of anywhere significant to Voldemort besides Hogwarts. Not only that but he'd vanished for many years where he split his soul more times and caused physical changes to himself. In that time he could have visited plenty of places to hide something. The cup for example.

Cup… place to hide. The only significant place Alicia knew of to Voldemort would be Godric's Hollow but she highly doubted that Voldemort would hide a piece of his soul in the place he'd lost one. And it was such an obvious place.

Alicia felt a pain through her neck as she stared at the pensieve and she felt a push on her mind which was familiar to her. Alicia looked up at the tent entrance were Harry was but he was still sitting there.

Alicia, with nothing better to do and hoping for some kind of help, closed her eyes and took a breath, until she was no longer sitting in the tent.

" _Give it to me, Gregorovitch._ "

The voice was high, clear, and cold, a wand held in front by a long-fingered white hand. The man at whom it was pointing was suspended upside down in midair, though there were no ropes holding him; he swung there, invisibly and eerily bound, his limbs wrapped about him, his terrified face, on a level with the other's, red due to the blood that had rushed to his head. He had pure-white hair and a thick, bushy beard: a trussed-up Father Christmas.

"I have it not, I have it no more! It was, many years ago, stolen from me!"

"Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Gregorovitch. He knows… He always knows."

The hanging man's pupils were wide, dilated with fear, and they seemed to swell, bigger and bigger until their blackness swallowed everything whole —

And now they were hurrying along a dark corridor in stout little Gregorovitch's wake as he held a lantern aloft: Gregorovitch burst into the room at the end of the passage and his lantern illuminated what looked like a workshop; wood shavings and gold gleamed in the swinging pool of light, and there on the window ledge sat perched, like a giant bird, a young man with golden hair. In the split second that the lantern's light illuminated him, the delight upon his handsome face was lit up, then the intruder shot a Stunning Spell from his wand and jumped neatly backward out of the window with a crow of laughter.

And they were hurtling back out of those wide, tunnellike pupils and Gregorovitch's face was stricken with terror.

"Who was the thief, Gregorovitch?" said the high cold voice.

"I do not know, I never knew, a young man — no — please — PLEASE!"

A scream that went on and on and then a burst of green light —

" _Harry_!"

Alicia opened her eyes, still sitting where she had been and saw Hermione at the entrance of the tent. Harry's legs were all that was visible to Alicia as he had slumped against the side of the tent.

Alicia blinked and looked around to find Ron watching her and then glancing at the entrance.

"Dream," came Harry's voice as he reappeared while having sat up. "Must've dozed off, sorry."

"I know it was your scar! I can tell by the look on your face! You were looking into Vol —"

"Don't say his name!" Ron shouted angrily, Alicia jumping slightly.

" _Fine,_ " retorted Hermione. " _You-Know-Who_ _'s_ mind, then!"

"I didn't mean it to happen!" Harry said. "It was a dream! Can _you_ control what you dream about, Hermione?"

"If you just learned to apply Occlumency —"

"Hermione," Alicia said "Can you give it a rest." she called.

"He's found Gregorovitch, Hermione, and I think he's killed him, but before he killed him he read Gregorovitch's mind and I saw —" Hermione cut him off.

"I think I'd better take over the watch if you're so tired you're falling asleep," said Hermione coldly.

"I can finish the watch!"

"No, you're obviously exhausted. Go and lie down."

She dropped down in the mouth of the tent, looking stubborn. Alicia felt Harry's anger but he came back into the tent regardless.

Harry moved straight past Alicia and climbed into the bed above Ron saying nothing. Ron looked at Alicia and she nodded her head to Harry, she knew he wanted to talk about it.

"What's You-Know-Who doing?" Ron whispered lowly so Hermione wouldn't hear.

"He found Gregorovitch. He had him tied up, he was torturing him."

"How's Gregorovitch supposed to make him a new wand if he's tied up?"

"I dunno… It's weird, isn't it?"

"You're focusing too much on what you're watching Harry." Alicia said and he turned to look down at her as she glanced at Hermione "You need to listen as well."

"What do you—" Ron began but Harry cut him off.

"You saw it?" she nodded

"Got nothing better to do." she mumbled "Gregorovitch was saying he didn't have it. He said it was stolen by him, stolen by the gold haired boy." Alicia said to them both. "Vol— ("OI!") You-Kmow-Who is not looking for a new wand to be made for him, he's looking for something specific that Gregorovitch clearly used to have." she said

"What?" Ron asked but Alicia shook her head.

"He read Gregorovitch's mind, and I saw this young bloke perched on a windowsill, and he fired a curse at Gregorovitch and jumped out of sight. He stole it, he stole whatever You-Know-Who's after. And I…I think I've seen him somewhere…" Harry said

"What?" Alicia asked and Harry nodded. "Where?" she asked but he shook his head.

"I wish I could get another glimpse of him."

"You can." Alicia said and Harry and Ron looked at her before she looked down at the pensieve. "But Hermione would notice." she mumbled glancing at the girl's bushy hair.

The noises of the surrounding woods were muffled inside the tent before Ron whispered again.

"Couldn't you see what the thief was holding?"

"No… it must've been something small."

"Harry?"

The wooden slats of Ron's bunk creaked as he repositioned himself in bed.

"Harry, you don't reckon You-Know-Who's after something else to turn into a Horcrux?"

"God I hope not, I can't even seem to figure out where the cup might be." Alicia complained as she stared at the pensieve.

"I don't know," said Harry slowly. "Maybe. But wouldn't it be dangerous for him to make another one? Didn't Hermione say he had pushed his soul to the limit already?"

"Yeah, but maybe he doesn't know that."

"Yeah… maybe," said Harry.

Alicia watched them as she remembered sitting back in Dumbledore's office, the day she discovered something so terrible she wished she'd never worked it out.

"… _Voldemort's soul was so unstable, from being ripped apart so many times, that the curse blasted it apart again."_

"He can't make another horcrux." Alicia said and the two boys looked at him. "His mind is so unstable it's in danger of being blown apart…" she whispered

"And you're sure of that?" Ron said and Alicia looked at her and then to Harry who noticed her gaze as she nodded.

"Positive."

"On what grounds?" Ron said and Alicia rose an eyebrow at him.

"You doubt me?" she smirked.

"You haven't worked out anything that can help us so I'm beginning to doubt your brains." he said.

Instead of getting annoyed or insulted by this, as Harry seemed to think she would by the look on his face, Alicia sighed and slumped her head into her hand again.

"Makes two of us. We watched those memories of V— ("Don't say it!") You-know-who, and we were at Hogwarts, the Guants, the orphanage, Borgin and Burkes and Hepzibah's. Well you're not going to hide anything at Borgin and Burkes unless you want it sold. Hepzibah's was searched to thoroughly for her treasures, you wouldn't want to leave them there. You-know-who felt nothing for the orphanage so I can guarantee there's not one there. The Ring was at the Gaunts and… I'm still mulling over Hogwarts…" she mumbled. "Those are the only memories Dumbledore showed us, and the Cave was really the only place in which we know he visited outside of Hogwarts, apart from Gaunts." Alicia said "Obviously he visited Diagon Alley to get things but, where would you hide something there?"

"Hagrid always said Gringotts was the safest beside Hogwarts." Harry said

"Yes but I doubt Tom Riddle had a bank account. He was an orphan and Hogwarts had funding set up for such students remember, it was in the memory of Dumbledore's when he first met Tom."

"What about a follower?" Ron said

"He doesn't like to rely on them like that, and after Lucius and the diary…" Alicia mumbled frowning "I dunno. And there are so many followers, which vault would we choose? It could be in Snape's vault, or Yaxley's, or Bellatrix's… until we have some sort of hard evidence and a destination we can't really run into Diagon Alley and into Gringotts on a guess. And especially when it's just a guess because Gringotts is a safe place." the two boys sighed as Alicia looked back at her pensieve.

"Figured out how to destroy them?" Ron asked

"Honestly I've been banking on us finding them all, breaking into Hogwarts and using the basilisk fangs sitting in the Chamber of Secrets mines below the castle." she mumbled as she slumped in her chair. "And that's the only thing I can think of so far."

 _And it's driving me mad._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

The next morning, once they were all awake, Alicia, Harry and Hermione discussed what to do from then on. After what happened in Tottenham Court Road, even Alicia agreed they shouldn't stay anywhere too long, and Ron agreed, with the sole proviso that their next move took them within reach of a bacon sandwich.

"Yeah we're gonna have to start thinking about food. Even a Muggle groceries store." Alicia agreed "Stock up and duplicate."

With the four in agreement, Hermione and Alicia removed the enchantments they had placed around the clearing, while Harry and Ron obliterated all the marks and impressions on the ground that might show they had camped there. Then they Disapparated to the outskirts of a small market town.

Once they had pitched the tent in the shelter of a small copse of trees and surrounded it with freshly cast defensive enchantments, Harry ventured out under the Invisibility Cloak to find sustenance. This, however, did not go as planned. He came running back, empty handed and out of breath as he managed to get out a single word: _dementors_.

"But you can make a brilliant Patronus!" protested Ron.

"I couldn't… make one," he panted, clutching the stitch in his side. "Wouldn't… come."

"That's not normal… you were fine at the Ministry…" Alicia frowned as Hermione and Ron had expressions of consternation and disappointment.

"So we still haven't got any food."

"Shut up, Ron," snapped Hermione. "Harry, what happened? Why do you think you couldn't make your Patronus? You managed perfectly yesterday!"

"I don't know."

"Yeah, I mean nothing's changed since then, you haven't come into…" she paused "or added…"

She looked at Hermione as if expecting her to understand.

Ron kicked a chair leg.

"What?" he snarled at Hermione. "I'm starving! All I've had since I bled half to death is a couple of toadstools!"

"You go and fight your way through the dementors, then," said Harry, stung.

"I would, but my arm's in a sling, in case you hadn't noticed!"

"That's convenient."

"And what's that supposed to — ?"

"Unnecessary negativity!" Alicia said interrupting them. "Something that's been added to Harry since yesterday, that'd cause negativity on him to stop the happiness that a patronus needs." she said and Hermione watched her before she turned to Harry.

"The locket." she explained and Hermione clapped her hand on her forehead.

"Of course!" cried Hermione, understanding. "Harry, give me the locket! Come on," she said impatiently, clicking her fingers at him when he did not react, "the Horcrux, Harry, you're still wearing it!"

She held out her hands, and Harry lifted the golden chain over his head.

"Better?" asked Hermione. Harry blinked as hough there was a sudden change in air about him.

"Yeah, loads better!"

"Harry," Hermione said, crouching down in front of him and using the kind of voice associated with visiting the very sick, "you don't think you've been possessed, do you?"

"What? No!" he said defensively. "I remember everything we've done while I've been wearing it. I wouldn't know what I'd done if I'd been possessed, would I? Ginny told me there were times when she couldn't remember anything."

"Hmm," said Hermione, looking down at the heavy gold locket.

"I don't think it's possession." Alicia said "It's the effect of the soul, I mean it's _his_ soul, think how evil and negative it'll be. I think just being in contact with it for too long would put the effect on the wearer."

"But, Umbridge—" Hermione began

"Is evil, she's not gonna be brought down by it, bet it gave her a boost." Alicia said annoyed.

"Well, maybe we ought not to wear it. We can just keep it in the tent."

"We are not leaving that Horcrux lying around," Harry stated firmly. "If we lose it, if it gets stolen —"

"Oh, all right, all right," said Hermione, and she placed it around her own neck and tucked it out of sight down the front of her shirt. "But we'll take turns wearing it, so nobody keeps it on too long."

"Great," said Ron irritably, "and now we've sorted that out, can we please get some food?"

"Fine, but we'll go somewhere else to find it," said Hermione with half a glance at Harry. "There's no point staying where we know dementors are swooping around."

"We don't want nor do we need the hassle anything magic can bring to us." Alicia agreed.

In the end they settled down for the night in a far-flung field belonging to a lonely farm, from which they had managed to obtain eggs and bread.

"It's not stealing, is it?" asked Hermione in a troubled voice, as they devoured scrambled eggs on toast. "Not if I left some money under the chicken coop?"

"Hermione, chickens will lay eggs regardless, they'd have had more tomorrow anyway." Alicia said while Ron rolled his eyes.

" 'Er-my- nee, 'oo worry 'oo much. 'Elax!"

And, indeed, it was much easier to relax when they were comfortably well fed: The argument about the dementors was forgotten in laughter that night, and Harry took the first of the four night watches.

This was their first encounter with the fact that a full stomach meant good spirits; an empty one, bickering and gloom. Harry was least surprised by this, because he had suffered periods of near starvation at the Dursleys'. Alicia had been well fed but found it very rational they acted this way and tried to keep herself from snapping at everything someone said that irritated her by diving into her memories, sometimes almost literally into the pensieve. Hermione bore up reasonably well on those nights when they managed to scavenge nothing but berries or stale biscuits, her temper perhaps a little shorter than usual and her silences rather dour. Ron, however, had always been used to three delicious meals a day, courtesy of his mother or of the Hogwarts house-elves, and hunger made him both unreasonable and irascible. Whenever lack of food coincided with Ron's turn to wear the Horcrux, he became downright unpleasant.

"So where next?" was his constant refrain. He did not seem to have any ideas himself, but expected Alicia, Harry and Hermione to come up with plans while he sat and brooded over the low food supplies. Twice Alicia had made this snap at him when he'd been hungry and she'd had the locket around her neck, but seemed otherwise able to hold her tongue. Accordingly Alicia, Harry and Hermione spent fruitless hours trying to decide where they might find the other Horcruxes, and how to destroy the one they had already got, their conversations becoming increasingly repetitive as they had no new information.

As Dumbledore had told the twins that he believed Voldemort had hidden the Horcruxes in places important to him, they kept reciting, in a sort of dreary litany, those locations they knew that Voldemort had lived or visited. The orphanage where he had been born and raised; Hogwarts, where he had been educated; Borgin and Burkes, where he had worked after completing school; then Albania, where he had spent his years of exile. Alicia however cut out Borgin and Burkes and the orphanage but agreed they could at least check the orphanage if they found a way to do it carefully. These formed the basis of their speculations.

"Yeah, let's go to Albania. Shouldn't take more than an afternoon to search an entire country," said Ron sarcastically.

"There can't be anything there. He'd already made five of his Horcruxes before he went into exile, and Dumbledore was certain the snake is the sixth," said Hermione. "We know the snake's not in Albania, it's usually with Vol —"

" _Didn_ _'_ _t I ask you to stop saying that_?"

"Fine! The snake is usually with _You-Know-Who_ — happy?"

"Not particularly."

"As Alicia said, I can't see him hiding anything at Borgin and Burkes," said Harry, yet again. "Borgin and Burke were experts at Dark objects, they would've recognised a Horcrux straightaway."

Ron yawned pointedly. Harry continued with a quick glare in Ron's direction. "I still reckon he might have hidden something at Hogwarts."

Hermione sighed.

"But Dumbledore would have found it, Harry!"

"And I suggested the idea to him." Alicia said yet again "And after his reply of him having searched the castle, I told him he wasn't a sixteen year old boy. Remember Harry how he said the old could forget how to think like the young?" Alicia said "Besides the school was searched up and down many times for the Chamber of Secrets and no one found it." she pointed out.

"Yeah, Dumbledore said in front of me that he never assumed he knew all of Hogwarts's secrets. I'm telling you, if there was one place Vol —"

"Oi!"

"YOU-KNOW-WHO, then!" Harry shouted, goaded past endurance. "If there was one place that was really important to You-Know-Who, it was Hogwarts!"

"Oh, come on," scoffed Ron. "His _school_?"

"Just because it's only a school to you Ronald!" Alicia snapped.

"Yeah, his school! It was his first real home, the place that meant he was special; it meant everything to him, and even after he left —"

"This is You-Know-Who we're talking about, right? Not you?" inquired Ron. He was tugging at the chain of the Horcrux around his neck.

"You told us that You-Know-Who asked Dumbledore to give him a job after he left," said Hermione.

"That's right," said Harry.

"And Dumbledore thought he only wanted to come back to try and find something, probably another founder's object, to make into another Horcrux?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

"But he didn't get the job, did he?" said Hermione. "So he never got the chance to find a founder's object there and hide it in the school!"

"Okay, then," said Harry, defeated. "Forget Hogwarts."

"No, don't forget Hogwarts, I talked to Dumbledore about how he had six years at Hogwarts, two of which he knew about and was making Horcruxes in, it would not surprise me if he was going back to check, move, or collect the last one. Dumbledore did not disagree. It'd be absolutely stupid not to check!" Alicia said "One thing I am sure of, is it's not the cup, because he didn't have that until he left, so it'd have to be what ever it is of Ravenclaws." Alicia said

"We have no proof."

"We have no proof of nothing Hermione, so what else is new?" Alicia snapped.

Without any other leads, they traveled into London and, hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, searched for the orphanage in which Voldemort had been raised. Hermione stole into a library and discovered from their records that the place had been demolished many years before. They visited its site and found a tower block of offices.

"We could try digging in the foundations?" Hermione suggested halfheartedly.

"Alicia already guessed he wouldn't have hidden a Horcrux here," Harry said as his sister nodded. "He hated it here too much. Plus a muggle building right in the middle of London, it's not protected enough." Alicia confessed and Harry agreed with her.

Even without any new ideas, they continued to move through the countryside, pitching the tent in a different place each night for security. Every morning they made sure that they had removed all clues to their presence, then set off to find another lonely and secluded spot, traveling by Apparition to more woods, to the shadowy crevices of cliffs, to purple moors, gorse-covered mountainsides, and once a sheltered and pebbly cove. Every twelve hours or so they passed the Horcrux between them as though they were playing some perverse, slow-motion game of pass-the-parcel, where they dreaded the music stopping because the reward was twelve hours of increased fear and anxiety.

Despite all this and despite her temper, Alicia seemed to be able to withstand the effect the Horcrux the most, though she still made snaps and wasn't immune. She found this confusing as she believed, though she hadn't said it out loud, that Harry would be best, after all, he was always in contact with a piece of Voldemort's soul.

 _Maybe that's why though, the two pieces together… you've just flitted in and touched it through Harry, which is sort of like the locket…_ She said nothing of this to the others, the explanation was something she couldn't do, not until the time was right.

Alicia's scar continued to prickle when Harry's did but with her Occlumency being better and keeping Harry out, as well as Voldemort, she only saw things when she gave into it or wanted to. Harry however was different and he reacted to the pain enough for them to notice, mostly Ron.

"What? What did you see?" demanded Ron, whenever he noticed Harry wince.

"A face," muttered Harry, every time. "The same face. The thief who stole from Gregorovitch."

And Ron would turn away, making no effort to hide his disappointment. It was obvious that Ron was hoping to hear news of his family or of the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, but Harry wasn't some kind of television arial. Alicia's mirror had still sat beside her pensive with no call from the other side and she wondered if maybe Fred had left and forgotten his, or if they were travelling and it was in his bag… she hoped upon hope he hadn't broken it, but she'd tried calling for him and so far had received no reply. She hoped they were simply in hiding and being watched and listened to so he couldn't speak to her in fear of her safety and the others with her.

It worried her, but with Ron already so antsy, she couldn't voice these thoughts to anyone, as she didn't want to worry or make Harry feel any guiltier than she knew he did.

The girl stared at the mirror one afternoon before she reached for it. Ron watched her expectantly, not to the girl's surprise, as she held it before her.

"Fred…" she waited with low expectations. No face appeared and Ron began to slump. "George."

"Well hello Alicia." everyone in the tent perked up instantly in surprise and Alicia blinked as the one-eared George appeared in the reflection. She stared at him and he grinned back as Ron was instantly behind the girl. "You're looking well, what you lot up to?"

Harry who was walking over as well as Hermione watched Alicia worried now as she stared and her emotions began to bubble.

"George, how is everyone? Is everything okay?" Ron said instantly.

"Yeah, Bill and Fleur are at a safe house, dad's back at work, we've had to slow down the business a little… Ginny's at Hogwarts obviously." Ron let out a sigh of relief and nodded while Alicia was still staring.

"And what about everyone in the Order?" Hermione said

"So far everyone's fine, it hasn't been long since the wedding after all, everyone's keeping their noses clean." he shrugged before looking at Alicia. "You're awfully quiet?" he said.

George shunned away from the mirror, moving backwards and giving the impression the mirror had been sat on the table. They could now see his bright purple shirt more clearly, instead of just the collar. Alicia's expression had contorted into complete and utter ferocity.

"You think… you have the _audacity_ … to answer the mirror with just a _'well hello_ '… after ignoring my calls for _weeks_!" Her voice was shaky with anger and ended up in a shout for the last word. "I've been absolutely terrified! I thought something had happened. Something was wrong! Where the hell is Fred!?" she demanded instantly as George chuckled lightly.

"Well, we've sorta been running around, we can't all be hold up in a secret house after all." George said nervously.

"And this is exactly why you should answer me when I call!" If not for the rational side of her brain Alicia might have thrown the mirror away in her anger. "We're not at Grimmauld Place any more. We haven't been there since September second! Yaxley, a Death Eater, got into the protection charms."

"How?" George said surprised. Alicia looked at him defiantly.

"I'm surprised you're not aware of what happened." she said "And did Lupin not tell you the place is unsafe?"

"Haven't really spoken to him much." Alicia huffed. Harry, Hermione and Ron were watching her, all fearing her rage too much to speak. "So… what happened with Grimmauld Place?"

"Yaxley got in after he grabbed a hold of Hermione." Alicia said

"How'd he find you?"

"We broke into the ministry." Alicia shrugged and George gapped at them.

" _That was you_!?" he demanded shocked and the three behind Alicia nodded with her. "Dad was telling us about it! Someone broke into the Ministry and attacked Umbridge and Yaxley and then freed a heap of muggle-borns!"

"Well we weren't going to leave them in Umbridge's hands." Alicia rolled her eyes

"I never would have guessed!" George grinned. "We thought they were just rebellions wanting to free the muggle-borns, is that why you did it?"

"God no."

"Why then?"

"Can't tell you." Harry said "Sorry George."

"Well did you at least do whatever you meant to?" he wondered

"Right, go all that way and cause all that trouble just to fail?" Alicia scoffed "Of course we succeeded. But no one knows that, just let them continue thinking it was about the muggle-borns."

"Wait till Fred finds out."

"Speaking of…" Alicia said annoyed

"He went out to get some food. We don't stay still much. I don't think we've thought about the mirror much cause it was still in his bag."

"Feel like throwing some food our way." Ron grumbled and the two girls rolled their eyes

"Why are you moving around?" Harry wondered

"You're not on the run are you?" Alicia sighed

"Narr, we're helping Lee out with an idea." George shrugged "It's only temporary." The four shared a look. "It's nothing dangerous don't worry. So where are you guys now?"

"Camping." Hermione said quickly and the three looked at her. "Sorry George but it's better you don't know."

"Not that it matters." Alicia said "We don't stay in the same place for more than one night." she explained. "After we were attacked by Death Eaters, after the wedding, we decided it was best."

"And you're just pitching a tent and camping?" George said and the four nodded. "Brilliant."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be." Alicia said, glancing at Ron on her left. "But it's enough."

"I'm glad you're all safe. And I am sorry Alicia, we weren't trying to ignore you. For a while after our last chat we didn't touch the mirror cause we were being watched. We didn't want anyone listening in and knowing anything." he explained "After that though things got busy and we were helping Lee… kinda slipped our minds."

"Glad to know my boyfriend cares enough to check in on me." Alicia grumbled irritatedly, her arms crossed.

"I'll get him to call you back at some point."

"Some point likely meaning several weeks! If he doesn't call me for Christmas…!"

"I'll confiscate all his gifts till he does." George smirked

"You just want them instead." Alicia said and George nodded

"Hey not a bad idea." the girl rolled her eyes but smirked slightly.

"Seriously George, we don't know anything that's happening in the outside world, some insight would be nice." Harry admitted

"Yeah before we murder each other… too long in one person's company is dangerous." Alicia admitted

"Alright, we'll do our best, but no promises, we're not gonna lead people to you after all."

"Dunno if you could but no more silent treatments!" Alicia snapped "And you can tell Fred, I hate him." and she put the mirror down upside down before storming off to her bunk. Hermione, Ron and Harry blinked surprised before sharing a look.

Hermione sighed, seeming the only one to understand the girl's madness.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

The days stretched into weeks and they got no where through all their movements, the conversations about horcruxes went in circles as well as methods of destroying them. Alicia had tried to figure it out but so far she could not think of something to rival a basilisk fang.

It seemed what Dumbledore had left the three were now useless. Hermione had read the children stories a few times Ron gave up on clicking his Deluminator, no lights were put out in the tent for someone was always up, awake and standing watch, Harry's snitch flew around sometimes, intreating Alicia's little owl with kip her company and was a little reminder of home, but otherwise stayed hidden away and Alicia had rewatched all of the memories Dumbledore had on Voldemort, looking and listening for some new clue only to come up with nothing.

As this continued, Ron and Hermione began to have secluded discussions without the twins. Alicia already knew what it was about, they were disappointed they'd gotten no where. Had a horcrux but no way to get rid of it and couldn't think of a single place another might be. Alicia and Harry believed Hogwarts likely but the other two continued to disagree. Alicia and Harry therefore just spoke about it on their own while keeping watch or collecting water, food or wood. A bonus of their mind connection, they didn't have to irritate Hermione and Ron with their whispered conversations as the two did to the twins. They'd stop having conversations when Harry or Alicia got close, entered the tent or were even around. Harry had apparently walked in on them twice huddled together, heads together and talking fast, falling silent as he got near.

 _Well it's obvious isn't it? They think this wouldn't have been so hard._

 _But we told them everything!_ Harry said _They knew what was was going on!_

 _Clearly they thought there was some secret plan we didn't tell them. Why on earth we'd keep something from them I don't know._ Alicia said as she sat at the tent entrance, reading through a book of dangerous and deadly weapons.

 _What do they expect!_

 _More._ Alicia shrugged as Harry was tottering around a little ways away, collecting sticks. _I don't see what's wrong with them. I mean it took Dumbledore, in all his infinite wisdom, knowledge and resources an entire year to find the locket's cave. Took us mere weeks to find the real one._ Alicia believed _So far we're doing better anyway._

 _And we still can't destroy it!_ Harry kicked the ground and Alicia looked up at him. _Why didn't Dumbledore tell us how to do so! Or give us something!_ Alicia paused and she at him surprised.

"He did…" Alicia mumbled and Harry turned to her "Hermione!" Ron and Hermione had been having another private discussion in the tent, Hermione was attempting to cook some fish from the river beside them, and they broke apart surprised as Alicia closed her book and turned to her. "What do you know about Gryffindor's sword?"

"The sword? Not much, why?"

"I was wondering because Dumbledore left it for Harry."

"Wasn't it for safe keeping?" Ron said

"Come on, what's safer than his office?"

"You mean the one Snape now has?" Hermione added

"What's Snape gonna do with it?" Alicia said "Come on, think about it, why would Dumbledore not leave us something to destroy horcruxes with? Well he did leave us a weapon!"

"But it's a sword?" Ron said

"It's Gryffindor's sword! Each of the founders had an object, Slytherin's locket, Hufflepuff's cup, Gryffindor's sword and they're each rumoured to have magical qualities. What if the sword can cut anything?" she said "I mean can a basilisk be taken down by any sword or does it have to be magic induced?"

"Why does that matter?" Ron asked

"Look, the basilisk fang killed the dairy and the sword killed the basilisk, if we're following which is stronger—"

"Then the sword's stronger than the basilisk." Hermione mumbled

"I mean it's just a theory and that's why I was wondering if you knew anything about it."

"No I don't."

"We don't have the sword anyway so what's it matter?" Ron grumbled

"You don't remember anything about the sword do you Ron? Gryffindor's sword can move and materialise anywhere. That's how it presents itself to worthy Gryffindors. It presents itself in a time of need."

"Where is it then?"

"Our need isn't exactly desperate, we destroy the horcurx fine but we're not dying to do so right now." Alicia rolled her eyes

"Says you."

"Yes me, I'm not impatient and disappointed with how things are turning out." Alicia snapped and the two gapped as Alicia turned around back to face out of the tent. Harry was standing beside her, having been listening.

"It's a good theory." he said

"What else is knew?" she mumbled "Dumbledore was always so confident in his guesses. Why can't I be in mine? I mean half the time I'm right anyway or just off the money." Harry chuckled before he paused and then sat beside her.

"What do we do though, about, our situation. I mean, even Hermione seems to be disappointed by my poor leadership." he mumbled quietly, glancing back at the two behind them, leaning slightly closer to his sister.

"It's nothing to do with poor leadership Harry. They're just putting their expectations too high, clearly thinking this would all be an easy trip and we'd be home within a few months." Alicia rolled her eyes "The lack of food, the Horcrux affecting us and always being stuck in one another's company is gonna cause us to get agitated naturally." Alicia sighed "You might find we're seriously put to the test as friends here." she mumbled.

Autumn rolled over the countryside as they moved through it: They were now pitching the tent on mulches of fallen leaves. Natural mists joined those cast by the dementors; wind and rain added to their troubles. The fact that Hermione was getting better at identifying edible fungi could not altogether compensate for their continuing isolation, the lack of other people's company, or their total ignorance of what was going on in the war against Voldemort.

"My mother," said Ron one night, as they sat in the tent on a riverbank in Wales, "can make good food appear out of thin air."

He prodded moodily at the lumps of charred grey fish on his plate as the golden chain of the Horcrux hung around his neck.

"No she didn't." Alicia said simply.

"Your mother can't produce food out of thin air," said Hermione. "No one can. Food is the first of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfigur —"

"Oh, speak English, can't you?" Ron said, prising a fish bone out from between his teeth.

"It's impossible to make good food out of nothing! You can Summon it if you know where it is, you can transform it, you can increase the quantity if you've already got some —"

"Well, don't bother increasing this, it's disgusting," said Ron.

"Could you be any more rude!" Alicia snapped

"Harry caught the fish and Alicia and I did out best with it! We tired to debone it and take out's it's insides. Notice that we're always the ones who ends up sorting out the food, because we're _girls_ _,_ I suppose!"

"No, it's because you're supposed to be the best at magic!" shot back Ron.

"Well maybe if you weren't so lazy and actually worked at something for a change…!" Alicia snapped

"You saying I'm useless!?" he demanded

"Well it's not like you've done anything lately." Alicia smiled

"Maybe you two should stop slacking off!" Alicia looked at him and felt rage boil in her.

" _Slacking off!_ " She all but shouted.

Hermione had jumped up and bits of roast pike slid off her tin plate onto the floor.

" _You_ can do the cooking tomorrow, Ron, _you_ can find the ingredients and try and charm them into something worth eating, and I'll sit here and pull faces and moan and you can see how you —"

"Shut up!" said Harry, leaping to his feet and holding up both hands. "Shut up _now_!" Alicia looked at him surprised. Hermione however looked outraged.

"How can you side with him, he hardly ever does the cook —"

"Hermione, be quiet, I can hear someone!"

Alicia turned to the tent entrance, listening carefully and none of them moved. Harry still had his hands raised, warning them not to talk. Then, over the rush and gush of the dark river beside them, came voices. Harry looked around at the Sneakoscope. It was not moving.

"You cast the Muffliato charm over us, right?" he whispered to Hermione.

"I did everything," she whispered back, "Muffliato, Muggle-Repelling and Disillusionment Charms, all of it. They shouldn't be able to hear or see us, whoever they are."

"Good." Alicia said and she dropped down to her hands and kneels to crawl to the entrance of the tent.

"Alicia!" Harry whisper shouted at her but she waved her hand behind her not caring.

There was heavy scuffing and scraping noises, plus the sound of dislodged stones and twigs as Alicia moved the flap of the tent ever so slightly and watched as several people clambered down the steep, wooded slop and towards the narrow bank where they'd pitched their tent. Through the darkness it looked like three adults and two children. Alicia squinted to try and see as Harry, Hermione and Ron had drawn their wands behind her.

"Looks like adults and some kids." Alicia whispered and she turned to them. "Doubt Death Eaters would have children with them." The three didn't change their stance at all.

The group coming towards them were talking but over the rushing over the river it seemed impossible hear them for the moment.

Alicia heard movement behind her and Hermione had snatched up the beaded bag and started to rummage; after a moment she drew out four Extendable Ears and threw one each to Harry, Alicia and Ron, who hastily inserted the ends of the flesh-coloured strings into their ears and fed the other ends out of the tent entrance.

"There ought to be a few salmon in here, or d'you reckon it's too early in the season? _Accio Salmon_!"

Alicia, still being the only one game enough to look out of the tent entrance, watched as salmon splashed out of the river and onto the bank and then were being caught by the adults. It seemed the two children were having a conversation but Alicia couldn't understand a word of it, they were speaking another language. With a bit more concentration and squinting through the darkness, she wondered if they were children at all.

Everything was thrown into view as a fire was lit and danced to life and the salmon were set up to be cooked. She watched as they took the salmon off, passed around some plates and cutlery and began to chomp on the fish. Two were men she'd never seen before and the two she thought were children were actually goblins. The last face she recognised instantly and she turned to the others.

"It's Dean Thomas." she said, just loud enough for them to hear and the three looked excited.

"Here, Griphook, Gornuk." Alicia recognised one of the name's instantly, though it'd been so long since she'd heard it. Griphook, he was a goblin and had been the one to escort Harry and her the very first time they'd ever been to Gringotts.

"Thank you," said the goblins together in English.

"So, you three have been on the run how long?" asked a new, mellow, and pleasant voice, Alicia had never heard it before.

"Six weeks… seven… I forget," said the tired man. "Met up with Griphook in the first couple of days and joined forces with Gornuk not long after. Nice to have a bit of company." they paused as they ate and having boiled some water they drank from some tin mugs placed on the bank.

"What made you leave, Ted?" continued the man.

"Knew they were coming for me," replied mellow-voiced Ted. Harry tapped Alicia and she looked at him to see him mouth " _Ted Tonks"._ Alicia so wished they could tell him they were hear, but he was in more danger if he'd seen them, whether on the run or not. "Heard Death Eaters were in the area last week and decided I'd better run for it. Refused to register as a Muggle-born on principle, see, so I knew it was a matter of time, knew I'd have to leave in the end. My wife should be okay, she's pure-blood. And then I met Dean here, what, a few days ago, son?"

"Yeah," said Dean, their fellow Gryffindor.

"Muggle-born, eh?" asked the first man.

"Not sure," said Dean. "My dad left my mum when I was a kid. I've got no proof he was a wizard, though."

They were silent as they ate for a moment. Ted broke it and began again.

"I've got to say, Dirk, I'm surprised to run into you. Pleased, but surprised. Word was you'd been caught."

"I was," said Dirk. "I was halfway to Azkaban when I made a break for it, Stunned Dawlish, and nicked his broom. It was easier than you'd think; I don't reckon he's quite right at the moment. Might be Confunded. If so, I'd like to shake the hand of the witch or wizard who did it, probably saved my life."

There was another pause in which the fire crackled and the river rushed on. Then Ted said, "And where do you two fit in? I, er, had the impression the goblins were for You-Know-Who, on the whole."

"You had a false impression," said the higher-voiced of the goblins. "We take no sides. This is a wizards' war."

"How come you're in hiding, then?"

"I deemed it prudent," said the deeper-voiced goblin. "Having refused what I considered an impertinent request, I could see that my personal safety was in jeopardy."

"What did they ask you to do?" asked Ted.

"Duties ill-befitting the dignity of my race," replied the goblin, his voice rougher and less human as he said it. "I am not a house-elf."

"What about you, Griphook?"

"Similar reasons," said the higher-voiced goblin. "Gringotts is no longer under the sole control of my race. I recognise no Wizarding master."

He added something under his breath in Gobbledegook, and Gornuk laughed.

"What's the joke?" asked Dean.

"He said," replied Dirk, "that there are things wizards don't recognise, either."

There was a short pause.

"I don't get it," said Dean.

"I had my small revenge before I left," said Griphook in English.

"Good man — goblin, I should say," amended Ted hastily.

"Didn't manage to lock a Death Eater up in one of the old high-security vaults, I suppose?"

"If I had, the sword would not have helped him break out," replied Griphook. Gornuk laughed again and even Dirk gave a dry chuckle.

Alicia's eyes widened. Sword? They had a sword! In Gringotts?

"Dean and I are still missing something here," said Ted.

"So is Severus Snape, though he does not know it," said Griphook, and the two goblins roared with malicious laughter.

 _Godric Gryffindor's sword is in Gringotts!_ But her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _But it wont help escape? But it's Gryffindor's sword, it'd be powerful enough for that…? But then…_

"Didn't you hear about that, Ted?" asked Dirk. "About the kids who tried to steal Gryffindor's sword out of Snape's office at Hogwarts?"

Alicia was listen hard now for every piece of information.

"Never heard a word," said Ted. "Not in the _Prophet,_ was it?"

"Hardly," chortled Dirk. "Griphook here told me, he heard about it from Bill Weasley who works for the bank. One of the kids who tried to take the sword was Bill's younger sister."

Alicia didn't turn to the three behind her. Harry would be worried and Ron… with the lack of food and the horcrux…

"She and a couple of friends got into Snape's office and smashed open the glass case where he was apparently keeping the sword. Snape caught them as they were trying to smuggle it down the staircase."

"Ah, God bless 'em," said Ted. "What did they think, that they'd be able to use the sword on You-Know-Who? Or on Snape himself ?"

 _No. They are stealing it because Dumbledore entrusted it to Harry!_ Alicia knew. Ginny knew of that and how the ministry had refused to do so.

"Well, whatever they thought they were going to do with it, Snape decided the sword wasn't safe where it was," said Dirk. "Couple of days later, once he'd got the say-so from You-Know-Who, I imagine, he sent it down to London to be kept in Gringotts instead."

The goblins started to laugh again.

"I'm still not seeing the joke," said Ted.

"It's a fake," rasped Griphook.

Alicia froze. The sword in the office was fake! Dumbledore had switched it because he knew the Ministry wouldn't let Harry have it! Did Snape have the real one hidden away, was he supposed to get it to them somehow, or had Dumbledore hidden it in a place for the four to find?

"The sword of Gryffindor!"

"Oh yes. It is a copy — an excellent copy, it is true — but it was Wizard-made. The original was forged centuries ago by goblins and had certain properties only goblin-made armour possesses. Wherever the genuine sword of Gryffindor is, it is not in a vault at Gringotts bank."

"I see," said Ted. "And I take it you didn't bother telling the Death Eaters this?"

"I saw no reason to trouble them with the information," said Griphook smugly, and now Ted and Dean joined in Gornuk and Dirk's laughter.

"What happened to Ginny and the others? The ones who tried to steal it?" Dean asked

"Oh, they were punished, and cruelly," said Griphook indifferently.

"They're okay, though?" asked Ted quickly. "I mean, the Weasleys don't need any more of their kids injured, do they?"

Alicia's eyes widened and she slumped sideways. What did that mean? Had someone been injured since they'd left the Burrow? Had something happened? Or were they simply talking of injuries already happened? George's ear, Bill's face, Ron ill in bed. She closed her eyes and balled her hand that wasn't holding the ears, gosh she wished with all her might nothing new had happened. And yet she eyes pricked anyway.

"They suffered no serious injury, as far as I am aware," said Griphook.

"Lucky for them," said Ted. "With Snape's track record I suppose we should just be glad they're still alive."

"You believe that story, then, do you, Ted?" asked Dirk. "You believe Snape killed Dumbledore?"

" 'Course I do," said Ted. "You're not going to sit there and tell me you think Potter had anything to do with it?"

"Hard to know what to believe these days," muttered Dirk.

"I know Harry Potter," said Dean. "And I reckon he's the real thing — the Chosen One, or whatever you want to call it."

"Yeah, there's a lot would like to believe he's that, son," said Dirk, "me included. But where is he? Run for it, by the looks of things. His sister too. You'd think, if they knew anything we don't, or had anything special going for them, they'd be out there now fighting, rallying resistance, instead of hiding. And you know, the _Prophet_ made a pretty good case against him —"

"The _Prophet_?" scoffed Ted. "You deserve to be lied to if you're still reading that muck, Dirk. You want the facts, try the _Quibbler._ "

Alicia watched as the unknown man, Dirk, choked on his salmon. Ted clapped him on the back from beside him. Dirk had swallowed a fish bone. At last he spluttered, "The _Quibbler_? That lunatic rag of Xeno Lovegood's?"

"It's not so lunatic these days," said Ted. "You want to give it a look. Xeno is printing all the stuff the _Prophet_ _'s_ ignoring, not a single mention of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks in the last issue. How long they'll let him get away with it, mind, I don't know. But Xeno says, front page of every issue, that any wizard who's against You-Know-Who ought to make helping Harry Potter their number-one priority."

Alicia smiled slightly.

"Hard to help a boy who's vanished off the face of the earth," said Dirk.

"Listen, the fact that they haven't caught him yet's one hell of an achievement," said Ted. "I'd take tips from him gladly; it's what we're trying to do, stay free, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well, you've got a point there," said Dirk heavily. "With the whole of the Ministry and all their informers looking for him I'd have expected him to be caught by now. Mind, who's to say they haven't already caught and killed him without publicising it?"

"Ah, don't say that, Dirk," murmured Ted.

There was a long pause filled with more clattering of knives and forks. When they spoke again it was to discuss whether they ought to sleep on the bank or retreat back up the wooded slope. Deciding the trees would give better cover, they extinguished their fire, then clambered back up the incline, their voices fading away.

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione reeled in the Extendable Ears and Alicia moved away from the entrance to the tent. She sat in one of the arm chairs and picked up her mirror, her own reflection stared back instead of the grinning face with red hair framing it that she so wished to see.

Harry broke the silence. "Ginny — the sword —"

"I know!" said Hermione.

She lunged for the tiny beaded bag, this time sinking her arm in it right up to the armpit.

"Here… we… are…" she said between gritted teeth, and she pulled at something that was evidently in the depths of the bag. Slowly the edge of an ornate picture frame came into sight. Harry hurried to help her. As they lifted the empty portrait of Phineas Nigellus free of Hermione's bag, Alicia watched as Hermione kept her wand pointing at it, ready to cast a spell at any moment.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

"If somebody swapped the real sword for the fake while it was in Dumbledore's office," Hermione panted, as they propped the painting of Phineas Nigellus, taken from Grimmauld Place, against the side of the tent, "Phineas Nigellus would have seen it happen, he hangs right beside the case!"

"Unless he was asleep," said Harry

"I swear those portraits never actually sleep, just ears drop." Alicia said as she joined the three, standing behind them as they crouched before the portrait.

Hermione knelt down in front of the empty canvas, her wand directed at its centre, cleared her throat, then said:

"Er — Phineas? Phineas Nigellus?"

Nothing happened.

"Phineas Nigellus?" said Hermione again. "Professor Black? Please could we talk to you? Please?"

" 'Please' always helps," said a cold, snide voice, and Phineas Nigellus slid into his portrait. At once, Hermione cried:

" _Obscuro_!"

A black blindfold appeared over Phineas Nigellus's clever, dark eyes, causing him to bump into the frame and shriek with pain.

"What — how dare — what are you — ?"

"What are you doing!?" Alicia demanded her eyes wide.

"We can't have him seeing us." Hermione said

"He'll know who we are the second we've spoken. And all he can see is the inside of the tent, so what's the reason to blindfold him?" she questioned but she seemed the only one who disagreed with the measure.

"Well, well, Alicia Potter."

"I'm sorry Professor." she said "I didn't believe they'd pull such a stunt." she sent a look at Hermione.

"I'm very sorry, Professor Black," said Hermione, "but it's a necessary precaution!" she said turning to Alicia who rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Remove this foul addition at once! Remove it, I say! You are ruining a great work of art! Where am I? What is going on?"

"Never mind where we are," said Harry, and Phineas Nigellus froze, abandoning his attempts to peel off the painted blindfold.

"Can that possibly be the voice of the elusive Mr. Potter?"

"Maybe," said Harry, knowing that this would keep Phineas Nigellus's interest. "We've got a couple of questions to ask you — about the sword of Gryffindor."

"Ah," said Phineas Nigellus, now turning his head this way and that in an effort to catch sight of Harry, "yes. That silly girl acted most unwisely there —"

"Shut up about my sister," said Ron roughly. Phineas Nigellus raised supercilious eyebrows.

"Who else is here?" he asked, turning his head from side to side. "Your tone displeases me!"

"He wont help us if we're rude to him Ron, no matter what he says. It's bad enough we've disrespected him with the blindfold!" Alicia believed.

"Well the girl and her friends were foolhardy in the extreme. Thieving from the headmaster!"

"They weren't thieving," said Harry. "That sword isn't Snape's."

"It belongs to Professor Snape's school," said Phineas Nigellus. "Exactly what claim did the Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did the idiot Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity!"

"Neville is not an idiot and Luna is not an oddity!" said Hermione.

"Where am I?" repeated Phineas Nigellus, starting to wrestle with the blindfold again. "Where have you brought me? Why have you removed me from the house of my forebears?"

"Never mind that! How did Snape punish Ginny, Neville, and Luna?" asked Harry urgently.

" _Professor_ Snape sent them into the Forbidden Forest, to do some work for the oaf, Hagrid."

"Hagrid's not an oaf!" said Hermione shrilly.

"That was all…" Alicia mumbled "The Carrows did nothing?" then maybe Snape really was protecting the students better.

"And Snape might've thought that was a punishment," said Harry, "but Ginny, Neville, and Luna probably had a good laugh with Hagrid. The Forbidden Forest… they've faced plenty worse than the Forbidden Forest, big deal!"

"Well depends on their job but…" Alicia mumbled

"What we really wanted to know, Professor Black, is whether anyone else has, um, taken out the sword at all? Maybe it's been taken away for cleaning or — or something?"

Phineas Nigellus paused again in his struggles to free his eyes and sniggered.

" _Muggle-borns,_ " he said. "Goblin-made armour does not require cleaning, simple girl. Goblins' silver repels mundane dirt, imbibing only that which strengthens it."

"Imbibing only that which strengthens it?" Alicia said as Harry snapped at the portrait for calling Hermione simple. "As in it takes in that which makes it stronger?" she wondered

"Precisely." Alicia looked like she'd been handed everything she ever wanted and stood up grinning. "Now I grow weary of contradiction," said Phineas Nigellus. "Perhaps it is time for me to return to the headmaster's office?"

Still blindfolded, he began groping the side of his frame, trying to feel his way out of his picture and back into the one at Hogwarts.

"Dumbledore! Can't you bring us Dumbledore?" Harry suddenly said.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Phineas Nigellus.

"Professor Dumbledore's portrait — couldn't you bring him along, here, into yours?"

"Harry it doesn't work that way?" Alicia sighed.

"Evidently it is not only Muggle-borns who are ignorant, Potter. The portraits of Hogwarts may commune with each other, but they cannot travel outside the castle except to visit a painting of themselves hanging elsewhere. Dumbledore cannot come here with me, and after the treatment I have received at your hands, I can assure you that I shall not be making a return visit!"

"I wouldn't blame you." Alicia mumbled as she sighed and Phineas redoubled his attempts to leave his frame.

"Professor Black," said Hermione, "couldn't you just tell us, _please,_ when was the last time the sword was taken out of its case? Before Ginny took it out, I mean?"

Phineas snorted impatiently.

"I believe that the last time I saw the sword of Gryffindor leave its case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a ring."

Hermione whipped around to look at Alicia who's mouth was in a triumphant grin as Harry stared at her too. None of them dared say more in front of Phineas Nigellus, who had at last managed to locate the exit.

"Well, good night to you," he said a little waspishly, and he began to move out of sight again. Only the edge of his hat brim remained in view when Harry gave a sudden shout.

"Wait! Have you told Snape you saw this?"

Phineas Nigellus stuck his blindfolded head back into the picture.

"Professor Snape has more important things on his mind than the many eccentricities of Albus Dumbledore. _Good-bye,_ Potter!"

And with that, he vanished completely, leaving behind him nothing but his murky backdrop.

"Harry!" Hermione cried.

"I know!" Harry shouted. Unable to contain himself, he punched the air and then grabbed Alicia in a hug, spinning her. "You were right! The sword!" he grinned at her and then began to pace up and down the tent. Hermione was squashing Phineas Nigellus's portrait back into the beaded bag; when she had fastened the clasp she threw the bag aside and raised a shining face to Harry.

"The sword can destroy Horcruxes! Goblin-made blades imbibe only that which strengthen them — Harry, that sword's impregnated with basilisk venom!"

"And Dumbledore didn't give it to me because he still needed it, he wanted to use it on the locket —"

"— and he must have realised they wouldn't let you have it if he put it in his will —"

"— so he made a copy —"

"— and put a fake in the glass case —"

"— and he left the real one — where?"

Alicia sat herself down before her mirror. Ron had moved as well and was lying on his lower bunk staring at the one above him, glaring at it. Alicia had picked up her mirror to look at it.

Alicia had made a guess about the sword and was glad she was right. They knew how to destroy Horcruxes, but the real sword was either missing or Snape was trying to get it to them, a problem he'd had since they'd left the Burrow no doubt. She wondered if Phineas, now knowing they had his portrait, would change that, but it didn't stop the words from going through her head.

"… _the Weasleys don_ _'_ _t need any more of their kids injured, do they?_ _"_

What if something had happened?

Harry and Hermione were still going.

"Think!" whispered Hermione. "Think! Where would he have left it?"

"Not at Hogwarts," said Harry, resuming his pacing.

"Somewhere in Hogsmeade?" suggested Hermione.

"The Shrieking Shack?" said Harry. "Nobody ever goes in there."

"But Snape knows how to get in, wouldn't that be a bit risky?"

"Dumbledore trusted Snape," Harry reminded her.

"Not enough to tell him that he had swapped the swords," said Hermione.

 _If it was indeed Dumbledore who swapped them._ Alicia thought

"Yeah, you're right!" said Harry. "So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What d'you reckon, Ron? Ron?"

Harry looked around and saw Alicia in her chair and Ron lying in the shadow of a lower bunk, looking stony.

"Oh, remembered me, have you?" he said.

"What?"

Ron snorted as he stared up at the underside of the upper bunk.

"You two carry on. Don't let me spoil your fun."

Perplexed, Harry looked to Hermione for help, but she shook her head, apparently as nonplussed as he was.

Alicia wondered if he worried what she did. Ginny being punished, his family likely have had another sibling injured… and here Harry and Hermione were talking only about the sword. Not only that but Ron had the horcrux around his neck.

Alicia felt the anger increase as she realised this and looked up at the two boys, away from her reflection which she'd been staring at.

"What's the problem?" asked Harry.

"Problem? There's no problem," said Ron, still refusing to look at Harry. "Not according to you, anyway."

There were several _plunks_ on the canvas over their heads. It had started to rain.

"Well, you've obviously got a problem," said Harry. "Spit it out, will you?"

Ron swung his long legs off the bed and sat up. He looked mean, unlike himself.

"All right, I'll spit it out. Don't expect me to skip up and down the tent because there's some other damn thing we've got to find. Just add it to the list of stuff you don't know."

"I don't know?" repeated Harry, " _I_ don't know?"

 _Plunk, plunk, plunk._ The rain was falling harder and heavier; it pattered on the leaf-strewn bank all around them and into the river chattering through the dark. Alicia felt Harry fill with dread as Ron said exactly what Harry had feared.

"It's not like I'm not having the time of my life here," said Ron, "you know, with my arm mangled and nothing to eat and freezing my backside off every night. I just hoped, you know, after we'd been running round a few weeks, we'd have achieved something."

"Ron," Hermione said, but in such a quiet voice that Ron could pretend not to have heard it over the loud tattoo the rain was now beating on the tent.

Alicia said nothing. She'd guessed this might test them. Frustration, worry, bitterness, the Horcrux, lack of food, it was all weighing on them.

"I thought you knew what you'd signed up for," said Harry.

"Yeah, I thought I did too."

"So what part of it isn't living up to your expectations?" asked Harry. Anger was coming to his defence now. "Did you think we'd be staying in five-star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?"

"We thought you knew what you were doing!" shouted Ron, standing up. "We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!"

"Ron!" said Hermione, this time clearly audible over the rain thundering on the tent roof, but again, he ignored her.

"Well, sorry to let you down," said Harry, his voice quite calm for the emotions Alicia felt coming from him. "I've been straight with you from the start, I told you everything Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven't noticed, we've found one Horcrux —"

"Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them — nowhere effing near, in other words!"

"Take off the locket, Ron," Hermione said, her voice unusually high. "Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."

"Yeah, he would," said Harry. "D'you think I haven't noticed the two of you whispering behind my and Alicia's backs? D'you think we didn't guess you were thinking this stuff?"

"Harry, we weren't —" Hermione turned to Alicia but she had a stern look on her face that gave no surprise and no leeway for argument.

"Don't lie!" Ron hurled at her. "You said it too, you said you were disappointed, you said you'd thought he had a bit more to go on than —"

"I didn't say it like that — Harry, I didn't!" she cried.

The rain was pounding the tent, tears were pouring down Hermione's face, and the excitement of a few minutes before had vanished as if it had never been, a short-lived firework that had flared and died, leaving everything dark, wet, and cold. The sword of Gryffindor was hidden they knew not where, and they were three teenagers in a tent whose only achievement was not, yet, to be dead.

"So why are you still here?" Harry asked Ron.

"Search me," said Ron.

"Go home then," said Harry.

"Yeah, maybe I will!" shouted Ron, and he took several steps toward Harry, who did not back away. "Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rat's fart, do you, it's only the Forbidden Forest, Harry _I'_ _ve-Faced-Worse_ Potter doesn't care what happens to her in here — well, I do, all right, giant spiders and mental stuff —"

"I was only saying — she was with the others, they were with Hagrid —"

"Yeah, I get it, you don't care! And what about the rest of my family, 'the Weasleys don't need another kid injured,' did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I —"

"Not bothered what it meant—" Ron was cut off and a _smack_ sounded over the top of the rain and the rushing river. The ring glittered on Alicia's raised hand and Ron's cheek began to turn red as he looked perplexed. Alicia's eyes were glistening with tears as she glared at Ron.

"How dare you." she whispered sadly "How dare you!" her rage increased "How selfish you are! You think you're the only one who cares about anyone! You think you alone are caring and thoughtful or give a damn about what's going on outside this wretched tent—" Ron turned to her.

"I have been staring at that mirror thinking of nothing but what could be happening on the other side of it! What could be happening to the people I care about. _I may not be a blood relative but your family are the closest thing I have to a family!_ " Alicia bellowed at Ron who backed away as she had her wand in her hand and pointed it at Ron. He was holding his cheek.

"You didn't care about what he said!" he responded

"SINCE WHEN DOES A PERSON HAVE TO SPEAK TO SHOW EMOTION!" Alicia shrieked "Just because I don't bug Harry every time his scar twinges or treat him like some television. Just because I'm capable of keeping myself from blowing up at everyone at every singe thing! I heard what he said! He said a Weasley got hurt! That could be Fred! _My_ Fred if you didn't recall!" She waved her ringed hand with the bracelet on her wrist in his face. "And you have the audacity to think no one else cares about anything!"

"Alicia! Stop!" Hermione said as she forced her way between her and Ron, Harry behind his sister and watching with surprise. "Ron!" Hermione turned to him. "I don't think it means anything new has happened, anything we don't know about; think, Ron, Bill's already scarred, plenty of people must have seen that George has lost an ear by now, and you're supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit, I'm sure that's all he meant —"

"Oh, you're sure, are you? Right then, well, I won't bother myself about them. It's all right for you two, isn't it, with your parents safely out of the way —"

"Our parents are _dead_!" Harry bellowed.

"And mine could be going the same way!" yelled Ron.

"Then GO!" roared Harry. "Go back to them, pretend you've got over your spattergroit and Mummy'll be able to feed you up and —"

Ron made a sudden movement: Harry reacted, but before either wand was clear of its owner's pocket, Hermione had raised her own.

" _Protego_!" she cried, and an invisible shield expanded between her, Alicia and Harry on the one side and Ron on the other; all of them were forced backward a few steps by the strength of the spell, and Harry and Ron glared from either side of the transparent barrier as though they were seeing each other clearly for the first time.

Alicia's wand had been in her hand the entire time but she knew better than to act out as such. Hermione had done better.

"Leave the Horcrux," Harry said.

Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned to Hermione.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you staying, or what?"

"I…" She looked anguished. "Yes — yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help —"

"I get it. You choose him."

Alicia scoffed. "How terrible childish you are." she said but Ron was already leaving the tent.

"Ron, no — please — come back, come back!"

Hermione was impeded by her own Shield Charm; by the time she had removed it Ron had already stormed into the night. Harry stood quite still and silent, Alicia didn't move either, both were listening to Hermione sobbing and calling Ron's name amongst the trees.

After a few minutes she returned, her sopping hair plastered to her face.

"He's g-g-gone! Disapparated!"

She threw herself into a chair, curled up, and started to cry.

Alicia twirled her wand and wove it over Hermione, drying her so she wouldn't get a cold. Harry however stooped, picked up the Horcrux, and placed it around his own neck. He dragged blankets off Ron's bunk and threw them over Hermione. Then he climbed onto his own bed and stared up at the dark canvas roof, listening to the pounding of the rain.

Alicia watched them both and then sat herself back in her chair and before her mirror, praying something would come from it.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

Alicia didn't sleep that night. Hermione sobbed practically the entire night away, drifting in and out of consciousness. Alicia took it upon herself to sit at the tent entrance, some hot tea in her hands to keep her awake, and watch the rain fall on the river beside them. When morning came she washed and dressed before making them all breakfast, allowing Hermione to stay in her place. Harry woke up after they did and Hermione brewed some tea as he went to clean himself up.

They ate breakfast in silence, none even greeting one another with the morning light. Hermione's eyes were red and puffy from crying. They packed up their things, Hermione dawdling. Alicia assumed she secretly hoped, a night away from them, and Ron would be back realising what a terrible mistake he made.

They'd known one another for six years now, and Ron and Harry had had only one row and that was in their fourth year of Hogwarts, but eventually Ron, who'd been jealous and overreacted, had come around when he saw sense. He and Hermione had had several where one had done something and Ron usually took it too far — though Hermione took it too far with the Lavender incident — but always they made up.

The issue was, the argument usually lasted ages and forgiveness never happened for a few months. Alicia believed it unlikely for Ron to settle down until he'd eaten something, had the horcrux off for a while and realise now he was away from the three, what was there for him to do now?

 _By then though, it'd be too late._

Alicia didn't bother to hesitate. She packed, she took down the enchantments and she ignored Harry and Hermione as they looked around the trees and through the pouring rain several times as if believing themselves to have heard something. But the red-haired figure did not appear from between the trees.

The muddy river beside them was rising rapidly and would soon spill over onto their bank. They had lingered a good hour after they would usually have departed their campsite. Finally having entirely repacked the beaded bag three times, Hermione seemed unable to find any more reasons to delay: Alicia stood waiting and Hermione moved over to her, grasped Harry's and her hands and Disapparated, reappearing on a windswept heather-covered hillside.

The instant they arrived, Hermione dropped Harry's hand and walked away from him, finally sitting down on a large rock, her face on her knees, shaking with sobs.

Alicia began to walk around and she put up the enchantments as Harry seemed rooted to the spot, watching her. But standing around was not going to get them anywhere. Alicia had spend several weeks away from Fred and knew how hard it was to leave on a good term, for Hermione to have been left by Ron, and believe she cared more for Harry… it was definitely going to chew her up. Alicia didn't expect Hermione to get better, not completely, and so, as she pitched the tent and Harry finally moved to come and help her, they seemed to make a silent agreement to not mention Ron.

And they didn't.

They did not discuss Ron at all over the next few days. Harry's anger simmered, sometimes falling into sadness as his mind went through the words Ron had spoken. Hermione it seemed didn't force the issue to talk about it and Alicia believed she wanted to even less than he did.

Alicia said nothing herself. It was not her place.

Despite this, Hermione still cried at night, when she thought the other two couldn't hear, and it got to the point were Alicia moved over to her and had pulled her into a hug, Hermione sobbed into her shoulder. Alicia knew Harry was aware of this too, and during her watches at the tent entrance she'd noticed him staring at the Marauder's Map, which she'd packed and brought with her, at wand light. She assumed he was waiting for Ron's name to appear on it.

Alicia didn't believe it would. What would Ron's family say when he came crawling back, believing he'd ditched Harry and Alicia, because things are moving slow? If someone had said such to her, she'd have believed that was all the more reason to stay. Mrs Weasley had not wanted them to ditch school for their unknown mission, and now her son had run off on his best friend because he was impatient. She hoped if he did go back Fred might remember her mirror and call her, asking what happened and threatening to drown Ronald.

Maybe Ron wouldn't go back home then, perhaps he was aware of this possible outcome as well. So then, what was he to do?

Alicia didn't tell the other two this, what with their cone of silence in ignoring Ron's existence. Instead, by day, they devoted themselves to trying to determine the possible locations of Gryffindor's sword, but the more they talked about the places in which Dumbledore might have hidden it, the more desperate and far-fetched their speculation became. Dumbledore had never mentioned a place he would hide something, and Alicia, so much better informed than Harry, had no idea where he'd put it. They had no leads on the sword, no leads on the Horcruxes and nothing to do but continue to run around the countryside pitching and unpitching their tent.

Alicia still had a small inkling that maybe Snape had the sword, but of course this was not something she could discuss with Harry and Hermione. What she did know was that if Snape had the sword and was under orders to get it to Harry, and had placed a fake sword in Gringotts to keep the Ministry from discovering this plan, he'd need to know where the three were first.

Alicia knew exactly how to get the information to him, the only issue was they never said somewhere longer than a day. And she couldn't be taking out the portrait every morning to tell Phineas where they were without Harry and Hermione noticing.

As it turned out, she didn't have to. They were spending many evenings in near silence, and Hermione took to bringing out Phineas Nigellus's portrait and propping it up in a chair, as though he might fill part of the gaping hole left by Ron's departure. Despite his previous assertion that he would never visit them again, Phineas Nigellus did not seem able to resist the chance to find out more about what Harry was up to, and consented to reappear, blindfolded, every few days or so.

They relished any news about what was happening at Hogwarts, though Phineas Nigellus was not an ideal informer. He venerated Snape, the first Slytherin headmaster since he himself had controlled the school, and they had to be careful not to criticise or ask impertinent questions about Snape, or Phineas Nigellus would instantly leave his painting. Alicia was best at this and Harry and Hermione had quickly caught onto this fact. This meant Alicia spoke to him the most, but always with Harry and Hermione leaning over her shoulders.

Phineas, though trying not to give information on Snape, did let drop certain snippets. Snape seemed to be facing a constant, low level of mutiny from a hard core of students. Alicia instantly assumed it'd be the D.A, for who else would it be? Ginny had been banned from going into Hogsmeade. Snape had reinstated Umbridge's old decree forbidding gatherings of three or more students or any unofficial student societies.

From all of these things, it was indeed a likely theory that Ginny, and probably Neville and Luna along with her, had been doing their best to continue Dumbledore's Army. Indeed, as Phineas Nigellus talked about Snape's crackdown, Alicia did wonder what it would be like to be in the castle, where she could see if she could talk to Snape. She wondered what it would be like, having everyone think you killed someone you respected more than anyone. If it was she, she'd be happy if at least one person knew the truth, believed differently. Though, she wondered if her knowing would put Snape at ease at all… of course she had tried to tell him at the end of last year but… whether he'd understood was another matter.

Much to Alicia's relief, but no one else's, Phineas had also tried to slip in some leading questions about Harry and Hermione's whereabouts. Hermione however shoved him back inside the beaded bag every time he did this, and Phineas Nigellus invariably refused to reappear for several days after these unceremonious good-byes. It made Alicia trying to get to the portrait in the dead of night when she knew Hermione and Harry were asleep to talk to Phineas, very difficult.

The weather grew colder and colder, Alicia being the least affected thanks to her Phoenix flint.

"What?" Harry asked when she asked why she wasn't shivering.

"The necklace Hagrid gave me, the stone, it protects the wearer from the cold." she shrugged obviously.

They did not dare remain in any one area too long, so rather than staying in the south of England, where a hard ground frost was the worst of their worries, they continued to meander up and down the country, braving a mountainside, where sleet pounded the tent; a wide, flat marsh, where the tent was flooded with chill water; and a tiny island in the middle of a Scottish loch, where snow half buried the tent in the night.

They had already spotted Christmas trees twinkling from several sitting room windows, Christmas was clearly approaching and Alicia found it surprising she'd been running for four months already now. It seemed so much less.

Harry it seemed was working himself up to something and Alicia could feel his anxiousness as he prepared himself to tell the two girls. They had just eaten an unusually good meal: Hermione had been to a supermarket under the Invisibility Cloak (scrupulously dropping the money into an open till as she left), and all three had stomachs full of spaghetti Bolognese and tinned pears.

Alicia's thoughts were confirmed when Harry had suggested that they take a few hours' break from wearing the Horcrux, which was hanging over the end of the bunk beside him.

"Alright then Harry, spit it out." Alicia said as she sat herself in a chair opposite Hermione, who had _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ beside her yet again as well as _Spellman_ _'_ _s Syllabary_ on the arm of the chair.

He looked at her and she rose a eyebrow as he cleared his throat.

"Well, I've been thinking, and —"

"Harry, could you help me with something?" Hermione cut him off and the twins looked at her confused.

Apparently she had not been listening. She leaned forward and held out _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_.

"Look at that symbol," she said, pointing to the top of a page. Alicia and Harry peered down at the title, written in runes, and there was a picture of what looked like a triangular eye, its pupil crossed with a vertical line.

"I never took Ancient Runes, Hermione."

"I did and I don't recognise it." Alicia mumbled confused.

"I know that, but it isn't a rune and it's not in the syllabary, either. All along I thought it was a picture of an eye, but I don't think it is! It's been inked in, look, somebody's drawn it there, it isn't really part of the book. Think, have you ever seen it before?"

"No… No, wait a moment." Harry looked closer. "Isn't it the same symbol Luna's dad was wearing round his neck?"

"Well, that's what I thought too!"

"Luna's dad was wearing a symbol?" Alicia asked looking surprised.

"You were too busy with Fred, yes he was." Hermione nodded.

"Then it's Grindelwald's mark." Harry said

She stared at him, openmouthed.

" _What_?"

"Krum told me, apparently it's carved into one of the hallways from when Grindelwald was there. Krum wanted to duel Xeno right there and then but didn't because he was Fleur's guest and I convinced him Luna's dad didn't likely know it's meaning. Apparently people have copied it, people who thought he was right in his views and those who had their families hurt by Grindelwald like Krum put them in their place. He was very sure of what it was."

Hermione looked astonished and Alicia unsure.

" _Grindelwald_ _'s_ mark?" Hermione asked. She looked from Harry to the weird symbol and back again. "I've never heard that Grindelwald had a mark. There's no mention of it in anything I've ever read about him."

"Me either, and if he had a mark, don't you think it'd be very well known?" Alicia said thinking.

"Well, like I say, Krum reckoned that symbol was carved on a wall at Durmstrang, and Grindelwald put it there."

She fell back into the old armchair, frowning.

"That's very odd. If it's a symbol of Dark Magic, what's it doing in a book of children's stories?"

"Yeah, it is weird," said Harry. "And you'd think Scrimgeour would have recognised it. He was Minister, he ought to have been expert on Dark stuff."

"I know… Perhaps he thought it was an eye, just like I did. All the other stories have little pictures over the titles."

She did not speak, but continued to pore over the strange mark.

"Maybe Dumbledore inked it in." Alicia said thinking "I mean he gave you the book. And maybe it's not a Dark Mark, but a symbol for something that Grindelwald knew about. I mean if it was his mark specifically then everyone would likely have known about it, but seeing as they didn't… then maybe it's something _he_ knew about?" she offered.

"But what?" Hermione asked. Alicia shrugged

"I wouldn't know, I've never seen it. But if Dumbledore put it in your book it must be important."

"Maybe it's the clue to another Horcrux!"

"Seems like a crap clue." Alicia mumbled "That isn't time wasting." she added before they fell into silence, the two girls pondering.

Harry tried speaking again.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"I've been thinking. I — I want to go to Godric's Hollow."

She looked up at him, but her eyes were unfocused, while Alicia stared at her brother, her mouth slightly open.

"Harry I don't—"

"Yes," Hermione said and Alicia looked shocked. "Yes, I've been wondering that too. I really think we'll have to."

"Did you hear me right?" he asked.

"Of course I did. You want to go to Godric's Hollow. I agree, I think we should. I mean, I can't think of anywhere else it could be either. It'll be dangerous, but the more I think about it, the more likely it seems it's there."

Alicia was bewildered by what she was hearing.

"Er — _what_ _'s_ there?" asked Harry.

At that, Hermione's bewilderment echoed Alicia's.

"Well, the sword, Harry! Dumbledore must have known you'd want to go back there, and I mean, Godric's Hollow is Godric Gryffindor's birthplace —"

"Really? Gryffindor came from Godric's Hollow?"

"It's right there in the title…" Alicia said obviously.

"Harry, did you ever even open _A History of Magic_?"

"Erm," he said, smiling for what felt like the first time in months. "I might've opened it, you know, when I bought it… just the once…"

"Well, as the village is named after him I'd have thought you might have made the connection," said Hermione. She sounded much more like her old self than she had done of late. "There's a bit about the village in _A History of Magic,_ wait…"

She opened the beaded bag and rummaged for a while, finally extracting her copy of their old school textbook, _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot, which she thumbed through until finding the page she wanted.

" ' _Upon the signature of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689, wizards went into hiding for good. It was natural, perhaps, that they formed their own small communities within a community. Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, who banded together for mutual support and protection. The villages of Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire, and Ottery St. Catchpole on the south coast of England were notable homes to knots of Wizarding families who lived alongside tolerant and sometimes Confunded Muggles. Most celebrated of these half-magical dwelling places is, perhaps, Godric_ _'_ _s Hollow, the West Country village where the great wizard Godric Gryffindor was born, and where Bowman Wright, Wizarding smith, forged the first Golden Snitch. The graveyard is full of the names of ancient magical families, and this accounts, no doubt, for the stories of hauntings that have dogged the little church beside it for many centuries._ _'_

"You and your parents aren't mentioned," Hermione said, closing the book, "because Professor Bagshot doesn't cover anything later than the end of the nineteenth century. But you see? Godric's Hollow, Godric Gryffindor, Gryffindor's sword; don't you think Dumbledore would have expected you to make the connection?"

"Oh yeah…"

"No!" Alicia said staring in disbelief. "We're not going to Godric's Hollow!"

"Alicia the sword—"

"Wont be there!" Alicia counteracted Hermione. "Godric's Hollow is so obvious now Harry and I can apparate. He might not be able to understand love but even Tom Riddle went looking for his family, despite them having been gone and even Tom saw similarities between himself and Harry. It's exactly where he'd plant a trap for us! It's for that reason Dumbledore would never put the sword there. It'd be much too dangerous." she looked at them both as if they were stupid. Harry looked at her incredulously and she sighed. "Look, I'd love to think the sword would be in such an easy spot, and visiting mum and dad…" she frowned "I can see the appeal but, the graves aren't going anywhere and we can't do something to dramatic!"

"Why not! We've been doing nothing but hiding out for weeks!" Harry snapped at her.

"It seems like trouble for something that's not there." Alicia said "I've gotten enough feelings to know somethings and I'm telling you, Godrics Hollow is a no."

Harry and Hermione shared a look saying both wanting to disagree.

"We have to check Alicia."

"Dumbledore wouldn't do something that reckless to us." Alicia believed

"But Alicia, remember what Muriel said?" Harry asked.

"Who?" Hermione asked at the same time Alicia said "No."

"You know," he hesitated. "Ginny's great-aunt. At the wedding. The one who said you had skinny ankles."

"Oh," said Hermione. It was a sticky moment but Harry rushed on:

"She said Bathilda Bagshot still lives in Godric's Hollow."

"Bathilda Bagshot," murmured Hermione, running her index finger over Bathilda's embossed name on the front cover of _A History of Magic._ "Well, I suppose —"

She gasped so dramatically that Harry's insides turned over; he drew his wand, looking around at the entrance, half expecting to see a hand forcing its way through the entrance flap, but there was nothing there.

"What?" he said, half angry, half relieved as Alicia had simply groaned. "What did you do that for? I thought you'd seen a Death Eater unzipping the tent, at least —"

"Harry, _what if Bathilda_ _'_ _s got the sword_? What if Dumbledore entrusted it to her?"

Alicia stomped her foot childishly and began to pace in aggravation. She ignored Harry's burning wish with his doubts at Hermione's words but the fact that Harry agreed with Hermione next made her want to leave the tent until she could cool off enough to bring a sensible argument to put them both off it.

"Yeah, he might have done! So, are we going to go to Godric's Hollow?"

"Yes, but we'll have to think it through carefully, Harry." She was sitting up now. "We'll need to practice Disapparating together under the Invisibility Cloak for a start, and perhaps Disillusionment Charms would be sensible too, unless you think we should go the whole hog and use Polyjuice Potion? In that case we'll need to collect hair from somebody. I actually think we'd better do that, Harry, the thicker our disguises the better…"

Alicia stood as Harry nodded and agreed when ever Hermione paused and waited for someone to address her.

Hermione did.

"Alicia."

"I don't want to do it. Everything in me screams we're running headlong into a trap."

"Which is why we need to be careful." Hermione nodded "Everything we can think of for protection." Alicia looked between them both stubbornly as she had her lips pursed together.

"I'm being overthrown and outvoted here no matter what I say aren't I." it wasn't much of a question but both Hermione and Harry nodded anyway.

She huffed and threw her hands into the air, storming to the kitchen to make herself some tea for something to do.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

Harry would gladly have set out for Godric's Hollow the following day, but Hermione had other ideas. Agreeing with Alicia in the danger aspect of their trip, and believing that Voldemort would expect Harry and Alicia to return to the scene of their parents' deaths, she was determined that they would set off only after they had ensured that they had the best disguises possible. It was therefore a full week later — once they had surreptitiously obtained hairs from innocent Muggles who were Christmas shopping, and had practiced Apparating and Disapparating while underneath the Invisibility Cloak together — that Hermione agreed to make the journey.

They were to Apparate to the village under cover of darkness, so it was late afternoon when they finally swallowed Polyjuice Potion, Harry transforming into a balding, middle-aged Muggle man, Hermione into his small and rather mousy wife and Alicia into another women of similarity they'd taken hairs from. The beaded bag containing half their possessions, the other in Alicia's, hanging from their elbow (apart from the Horcrux, which Harry was wearing around his neck) Hermione's bag tucked into an inside pocket of Hermione's buttoned-up coat. Harry lowered the Invisibility Cloak over them, then they turned into the suffocating darkness once again.

Opening her eyes and standing hand in hand with Harry, they stood in a snowy lane under a dark blue sky, in which the night's first stars were already glimmering feebly. Cottages stood on either side of the narrow road, Christmas decorations twinkling in their windows. A short way ahead of them, a glow of golden streetlights indicated the centre of the village.

"All this snow!" Hermione whispered beneath the cloak. "Why didn't we think of snow? After all our precautions, we'll leave prints! We'll just have to get rid of them — you two go in front, I'll do it —"

Alicia sighed. "Seems like a waste of time." and she yanked up the cloak.

"Alicia!" Hermione gapped.

"No she's right." Harry said. Hermione looked around frightened. "Oh, come on, we don't look like us and there's no one around."

Harry took the Cloak from Alicia and stowed it under his jacket. They made their way forward unhampered, the icy air stinging their faces as they passed more cottages. Alicia looked at the houses, wondering if one of them could be the house Lily and James were once in. She wondered if it'd ever been fixed or if it perhaps stood in ruins in memory. There was also a chance that they wouldn't see the house, after all it once had a Fidelius Charm on it, preventing any from seeing it. Who knew.

The little lane along which they were walking curved to the left and at the heart of the village, a small square was revealed to them.

Strung all around with coloured lights, there was what looked like a war memorial in the middle, partly obscured by a windblown Christmas tree. There were several shops, a post office, a pub, and a little church whose stained-glass windows were glowing jewel-bright across the square.

The snow here had become impacted: It was hard and slippery where people had trodden on it all day. Villagers were crisscrossing in front of them, their figures briefly illuminated by street lamps. They heard a snatch of laughter and pop music as the pub door opened and closed; then they heard a carol start up inside the little church.

"Harry, I think it's Christmas Eve!" said Hermione.

"Is it?"

"I'm sure it is," said Hermione, her eyes upon the church.

"How strange." Alicia whispered "To not be waking up tomorrow with a heap of gifts and a large feast…"

"They… they'll be in there, won't they? Your mum and dad? I can see the graveyard behind it."

Alicia turned around to look at the church and saw through it the headstones of a graveyard. She felt a shiver ran through and instantly was scared. She wanted to see it, but she knew that it would bring up things she'd never had to face before now; all the possibilities that could have happened has Snape never heard that Prophecy, had that prophecy never been made.

Alicia reached for Harry's hand, she could feel he was similar, afraid of what they were likely to see, whether they were really ready to.

Hermione took Harry's hand, likely feeling the same thing and she took the lead for the first time. Halfway across the square, however, she stopped dead.

"Harry, look!"

She was pointing at the war memorial. As they had passed it, it had transformed. Instead of an obelisk covered in names, there was a statue of four people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face, and both holding a child, a baby boy sitting in his mother's arms, a girl in her father's. Snow lay upon all their heads, like fluffy white caps.

Alicia felt the air rush from her and gratitude filled her completely. Strange, a statue had ben built in their honour, strange to see the four of them together in a way Alicia never had.

"Wow." Alicia whispered and Harry took her hand smiling slightly. She returned it.

"C'mon," said Harry, when he had looked his fill, and they turned again toward the church. The singing grew louder as they approached the church. Alicia was reminded of the castle, Peeves singing rude versions of Christmas carols and the twelve Christmas Trees Hagrid pulled in to decorate the Great Hall. It was the first Christmas in six years she hadn't celebrated surrounded by people, whether at Hogwarts or with the Weasley's. It was strange now. This was also the first year she wouldn't receive a sweater from Mrs Weasley. She remembered her last Christmas, huddled up in the Weasley's living room on Christmas eve, sitting with Fred, him playing with her hair. It only made her miss him more.

There was a kissing gate at the entrance to the graveyard. Hermione pushed it open as quietly as possible and they edged through it. On either side of the slippery path to the church doors, the snow lay deep and untouched. They moved off through the snow, carving deep trenches behind them as they walked around the building, keeping to the shadows beneath the brilliant windows.

Behind the church, row upon row of snowy tombstones protruded from a blanket of pale blue that was flecked with dazzling red, gold, and green wherever the reflections from the stained glass hit the snow.

Harry moved them over to the nearest grave and read the name engraved on the stone.

"Look at this, it's an Abbott, could be some long-lost relation of Hannah's!"

"Keep your voice down," Hermione begged him.

They split apart and the three moved through the graveyard, going deeper and deeper, gouging dark tracks into the snow behind them, stooping to peer at the words on old headstones, every now and then squinting into the surrounding darkness to make absolutely sure that they were unaccompanied.

"Harry, Alicia, here!"

Alicia was the furthest into the graveyard and moved back quickly after Harry, who was two rows of tombstones away from her.

"Is it — ?" he asked

"No, but look!"

She pointed to the dark stone. The twins stooped down and saw, upon the frozen, lichen-spotted granite, the words KENDRA DUMBLEDORE and, a short way below her dates of birth and death, AND HER DAUGHTER ARIANA. There was also a quotation:

 _Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._

So Rita Skeeter and Muriel had got some of their facts right. The Dumbledore family had indeed lived here, and part of it had died here. Alicia thought the words were definitely fitting for something Dumbledore would write, at least the Albus Dumbledore she knew. But it troubled her that Dumbledore had never mentioned the connection they had. Godric's Hollow held sadness for her and Harry as well as Dumbledore and Abeforth. Perhaps it was because it never came up, there never seemed a time to discuss Dumbledore, Alicia and Harry were always the ones who needed to be cared for. It was not really something to just bring upon, Dumbledore had always been careful about what the twins knew and if it was the right time after all.

" 'Where your treasure is, there will your heard be also.' " Harry read, "What does that mean?"

"You really are not my brother Harry." Alicia whispered "Dumbledore clearly treasured his family more than anything, and that meant his heart was forever with them, whether they were with him or not." she said.

"Are you sure he never mentioned — ?" Hermione began.

"No," said Harry curtly, then, "let's keep looking," and he turned away. Hermione and Alicia shared a look.

"It didn't make him any better about Dumbledore never telling him anything." Alicia whispered. Hermione took her hand.

"And you?"

"I wish we'd spoken of him for once, what made him the man he became… instead of always about us." she whispered and she began to move through the gravestones together. Alicia looked at some and Hermione at others before the bushy haired girl stopped.

"Here!" cried Hermione again a few moments later and Alicia looked at her and then at stone.

"Hermione, that says Pevrell?" she said slightly annoyed as her heart had given a leap at her call.

"Oh no, sorry! I thought it said Potter."

She was rubbing at a crumbling, mossy stone regardless as she gazed down at it, a little frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked.

"Harry, come back a moment." Hermione said, clearly wanting to tell them both.

"What?"

"Look at this!"

The grave was extremely old, weathered so that the name could hardly be made out. Hermione showed a symbol beneath it.

"Harry, that's the mark in the book!"

The stone was so worn that it was hard to make out what was engraved there, though there did seem to be a triangular mark beneath the nearly illegible name.

"Yeah… it could be…"

Hermione lit her wand and pointed it at the name on the headstone.

"It says Ig — Ignotus, I think…"

"I'm going to keep looking for my parents, all right?" Harry told her, a slight edge to his voice, and he set off again, leaving her crouched beside the old grave.

"Let's try not to side track him again." Alicia said and she continued along the line.

She recognised some surnames from Hogwarts, some dated back years where the family had likely died out, or at least moved away. She wondered if she'd had wizarding friends here as a child if she'd grown up here… what a weird concept that'd have been…

The darkness and the silence seemed to become, all of a sudden, much deeper. Alicia looked up as the carols finished and the chatter and flurry of churchgoers faded away as they made their way back into the square. Somebody inside the church had just turned off the lights.

Alicia continued along, lighting her wand to read the names before she glanced at one and came to an abrupt halt. She turned her head back and crouched before it, raising her wand. It'd caught her eye, not because what was written, but because of the shiny white marble in which the headstones had been made out of. It reminded her instantly of Dumbledore's tomb, incidentally only being two rows away from the Dumbledore women. Because of the marble, the headstones were not worn like some of the stones and the engraving on it stood out that one didn't need to be close to read it.

JAMES POTTER

BORN 27 MARCH 1960

DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

and beside it;

LILY POTTER

BORN 30 JANUARY 1960

DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981

And below both was written;

 _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._

Alicia found it a strange slogan… she'd come to believe, what with Sirius and Dumbledore talking to her about it, that death was not the end, and so it didn't need destroying… but perhaps by death not being the end, it was destroying death… Alicia liked the idea of 'beating' death, she wondered if that would have been a better word.

Hermione came up behind her as she noticed the girl kneeling before the headstone and she turned for Harry at once.

"Harry, they're here… right here."

He came hurrying along before he stood behind Alicia with Hermione.

" 'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'… Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?"

"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry," said Hermione, her voice gentle. "It means… you know… living beyond death. Living after death."

"It would have been written perhaps as 'The last Enemy that shall be beaten, is death." Alicia whispered. "Living beyond death, it seems more like you're beating it, rather than destroying…" Destroying just sounded… forceful, over extreme.

Harry started crying behind Alicia as she stared at the words, taking them in. Lily had been born almost exactly two months before her father. Fifty-six days exactly. Fifty-seven if 1960 had been a leap year. She wondered if Lily was the type to use that fact, amused by it, Alicia would definitely have done so, pushing her command above by being the older and wiser one.

" _It means… you know… living beyond death. Living after death."_

She wondered were souls did go afterwards, could they really be all together somewhere, Lily, James, Sirius, Dumbledore… was there a nest of souls, of loved ones, waiting for when one's time in this world was up? She could imagine them, all together, Dumbledore telling Lily and James about their brave and talented son, their brilliant and skilful daughter. How proud he was and how proud they should be, that they were not wasting the change their parents had given them. She wondered if he told them what'd happened in the last year, whether Sirius had laughed at some of the stories, whether Lily had nodded, proud of her children. Would Dumbledore tell her of her sister and brother-in-law's treatment of their son? How would she feel of such?

Alicia didn't realise she'd started crying as she imagined them all together, talking about the bravery and brilliance of the twins, the stubbornness they held and their tempers, their skilful quidditch skills. She would have much preferred it if they were all here for them to discuss it together. For James to have bought Harry his Nimbus two-thousand instead of McGonagall, and Lily to gush at Alicia, wanting details about her and Fred. How would she have reacted when Fred presented her with a ring? Would she have gasped like Mrs Weasley or squealed in a fashion that was unexpected of her?

And the idea that that couldn't happen, suddenly broke Alicia, in a way she's never thought of before. The ideas had never even crossed her mind until this moment, all the things she was missing out on, and could never truly have.

Hermione kneeled down beside her as Alicia buried her face in her hands and cried, her tears staring her cheeks. The bushy haired girl placed an arm around Alicia, raising her other in which she held her wand. She moved it in a circle through the air, and a wreath of Christmas roses blossomed before them, sitting on the snow and leaning against the grave stone. Harry kneeled as well and he pulled Alicia into him, wrapping his arms around her and she leaned her forehead on his collar bone for a moment as Hermione rubbed her back.

Eventually she took a few breaths and as she stood, so did the other two. Harry wrapped an arm around both girls' shoulders and them around his waist before they turned in silence and walked away through the snow, past Dumbledore's mother and sister, back toward the dark church and the out-of-sight kissing gate.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

Alicia paused and Harry and Hermione did with her. Something had shifted and a shiver ran down her spine.

"Alicia?" Harry asked

"Harry, something's wrong." Hermione realised

"What's wrong?"

They had only just reached the grave of the unknown Abbott.

"Something changed." Alicia said, her voice low. "Something's off." Any sign of her crying did show in her voice, it was strong and quiet.

"There's someone there. Someone watching us. I can tell. There, over by the bushes."

They stood quite still, holding on to one other, gazing at the dense black boundary of the graveyard. Alicia didn't need to look, she could feel the magic in the air, feel it ripple around her. Harry though couldn't, nor could he see anything.

"Are you sure?"

"I saw something move, I could have sworn I did…"

"I can feel it." Alicia whispered and Harry, who had seen her feel magic before in the cave last year, did not doubt this possibility.

She broke from him to free her wand arm.

"We look like Muggles," Harry pointed out.

"Muggles who've just been laying flowers on your parents' grave! Harry, I'm sure there's someone over there!"

Alicia turned slowly to take a look as a rustle suddenly sounded around them. A little eddy of dislodged snow fell in the bush to which Hermione had pointed.

"It's a cat," said Harry, after a second or two, "or a bird. If it was a Death Eater we'd be dead by now. But let's get out of here, and we can put the Cloak back on."

They glanced back repeatedly as they made their way out of the graveyard. Alicia felt as if they were being followed as they reached the grate and the slippery pavement. Instantly they pulled on the invisibility cloak and walked through the square, huddled together beneath it. The pub was fuller than before: Many voices inside it were now singing the carol that they had heard as they approached the church.

Hermione broke their hurried silence. "Let's go this way," and she pulled Harry who pulled Alicia down the dark street leading out of the village. They walked in the opposite direction from which they had entered. At the end of the lane, there was a point where the cottages ended and the lane turned into open country again. They walked as quickly as they dared, past more windows sparkling with multicoloured lights, the outlines of Christmas trees dark through the curtains. Alicia's eyes however were drawn at the end of the lane and to the dark mass that lay there. If Alicia hadn't been under the Invisibility Cloak and Harry hadn't been holding her hand she'd have run at it. It seemed like Harry had spotted it too, for he was suddenly pulling her and Hermione down the lane. Alicia caught on quickly, wanting to be just as close to the mass but Hermione was surprised and she slipped on a little ice.

"Harry —"

"Look… Look at it, Hermione…"

"I don't… oh!"

Her question was answered, whether the Fidelius Charm still held or not, for she could see it. The spell had died with it's inhabitants, with no one left to protect, and no building to protect, the charm had died.

The hedge had grown wild in the sixteen years since the twins had been taken from the rubble that lay scattered amongst the waist-high grass. Most of the cottage was still standing, though entirely covered in dark ivy and snow, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart. Alicia knew that was the nursery, where Lily had ran with her children.

And where Voldemort had lost a part of his soul.

The three stood at the gate, gazing up at the wreck of what must once have been a cottage just like those that flanked it.

"I wonder why nobody's ever rebuilt it?" whispered Hermione.

"Maybe you can't rebuild it?" Harry replied. "Maybe it's like the injuries from Dark Magic and you can't repair the damage?"

"Or it's been left as a monument." Alicia offered.

Harry slipped a hand from beneath the Cloak and grasped the snowy and thickly rusted gate, not wishing to open it, but simply to hold some part of the house.

"You're not going to go inside? It looks unsafe, it might — oh, Harry, look!" Hermione noticed it first.

His touch on the gate seemed to have done it. A sign had risen out of the ground in front of them, up through the tangles of nettles and weeds, like some bizarre, fast-growing flower, and in golden letters upon the wood it said:

 _On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily,_ _James_ _and their daughter, Alicia_ _Potter_ _, lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family._

Guess no one had updated it since. Alicia couldn't help but laugh slightly and Harry knocked her shoulder.

All around these neatly lettered words, scribbles had been added by other witches and wizards who had come to see the place where the Boy Who Lived had escaped. Some had merely signed their names in Everlasting Ink; others had carved their initials into the wood, still others had left messages. The most recent of these, shining brightly over sixteen years' worth of magical graffiti, all said similar things.

 _Good luck, Harry, Alicia, wherever you are._

 _If you read this, Harry, we_ _'_ _re all behind you!_

 _Long live Harry Potter._

"They shouldn't have written on the sign!" said Hermione, indignant.

But Harry beamed at her.

"It's brilliant. I'm glad they did." Alicia drew her wand and pushed it out of the cloak, much to Hermione's annoyance, as she pointed her wand at the top of the sign. Moving her wand words were etched into the wood above those that were already there. They shone out brighter than the others and matched that which the sign was designed for.

 _Alicia Potter Lives!_

She was surprised no one else had added this already, though there was mention of her in the scribbles.

"Much better."

"I…" Harry began but he broke off instantly. A heavily muffled figure was hobbling up the lane toward them, silhouetted by the bright lights in the distant square. Alicia brought her hand and wand under the cloak instantly as the women, judging but the figure, moved towards them. She was moving slowly, possibly frightened of slipping on the snowy ground. Her stoop, her stoutness, her shuffling gait all gave an impression of extreme age. They watched in silence as she drew nearer. Alicia wondered whether she would turn into any of the cottages she was passing, but something said she wouldn't. Alicia felt a chill run down her spine again and she wondered whether this women had been watching them all since the graveyard…

Alicia's eyebrows furrowed. How would she have known where they'd gone… did she know who they were? It seemed if Harry and Alicia Potter had come here, they'd instantly go to the house. But they were disguised, how could anyone know… perhaps it was the flowers? It seemed so obvious. People put flowers at the Potter's grave, where would be their next stop? Probably their broken house.

At last she came to a halt a few yards from them and simply stood there in the middle of the frozen road, facing them. There was next to no chance that this woman was a Muggle: She was standing there gazing at a house that ought to have been completely invisible to her, if she was not a witch. But her reason for coming to look at an old ruin… she knew they were there. Alicia was sure of it.

Alicia wondered, could she sense them? The Cloak was supposed to hide them from everything, it couldn't even be detected by detection charms, it blocked everything about them. There was no way this women could sense or see them, let alone know who they were.

Just as she thought that, the women rose a gloved hand and beckoned.

Hermione moved closer to Harry under the Cloak, her arm pressed against his as Alicia's grip on Harry's hand tightened just a little.

"How does she know?"

He shook his head. The woman beckoned again, more vigorously.

"We shouldn't follow." Alicia said "Something's wrong. We should leave. Now." she whispered ever so quietly. Hermione looked all ready to agree but Harry acted completely differently.

Harry spoke, causing Hermione to gasp and jump and Alicia to turn to him.

"Are you Bathilda?"

The muffled figure nodded and beckoned again.

Harry and Hermione looked at one another from beneath the cloak. Harry raised his eyebrows; Hermione gave a tiny, nervous nod. They turned to Alicia, who shook her head vigorously. The two shared a look again before they moved on other side of her, took her arms in their's and began to force her forwards.

"It's a bad idea!"

"She might have the sword." Harry tried

"You know my views of the sword being here which means she can't have!"

"We have to check." he believed and Alicia looked at Hermione helplessly. Despite her worry, Hermione seemed to agree with the boy.

She turned to the women, she'd turned and hobbled off back the way they'd come the second the three moved closer at once.

Leading them past several houses, she turned in at a gate. They followed her up the front path through a garden nearly as overgrown as the one they had just left. She fumbled for a moment with a key at the front door, then opened it and stepped back to let them pass.

Alicia looked over the garden behind her, looking at it like it was a sign of freedom. It would have been as though no one lived here. As she passed old women, she held her breath, stopping herself from breathing in any of the toxic smell that seemed to come from the women.

Harry pulled the cloak off and Alicia felt exposed, like some protection had left her.

Bathilda was a tiny women, bowed down with age she hardly reached Harry's chest in height. She closed the door behind them, her knuckles blue and mottled against the peeling paint, then turned and peered into Harry's face. Her eyes were thick with cataracts and sunken into folds of transparent skin, and her whole face was dotted with broken veins and liver spots.

The odour of old age, of dust, of unwashed clothes and stale food intensified as she unwound a moth-eaten black shawl, revealing a head of scant white hair through which the scalp showed clearly.

"Bathilda?" Harry repeated.

She nodded again.

Why did she not speak to them? Alicia watched her as the women stared at her for a moment and then shuffled past them, pushing Hermione aside as though she had not seen her, and vanished into what seemed to be a sitting room.

"Harry, I'm not sure about this," breathed Hermione.

"Look at the size of her; I think we could overpower her if we had to," said Harry. "Listen, I should have told you, I knew she wasn't all there. Muriel called her 'gaga.' "

"No, no I think we should leave. Now." Alicia stated. Hermione nodded and Harry went to reply but another voice came first

"Come!" called Bathilda from the next room.

Hermione jumped and clutched Harry's arm. Alicia turned slowly, dread filling her up.

"It's okay," said Harry reassuringly, and he led the way into the sitting room. Alicia went to snatch his arm and yank him from the house but he slipped from her. "Come on Alicia, you're being ridiculous."

Anger swelled within her as she followed him, wanting to shout but Bathilda was in ear shot, and the last she needed was to actually cause trouble. There was none, but Alicia could feel it. Something terrible was going to happen.

Bathilda was tottering around the place lighting candles, but it was still very dark, not to mention extremely dirty. Thick dust crunched beneath their feet, and underneath the dank and mildewed smell, there was something worse, like meat gone bad. It looked outside like no one had been here and inside as well. It was as if there were no inhabitants within this house. Alicia looked at Bathilda, her teeth were clamped together. It seemed like no one had been inside the house in a long time, likely not since Rita Skeeter had visited. She seemed to have forgotten that she could do magic, too, for she lit the candles clumsily by hand, her trailing lace cuff in constant danger of catching fire.

"Let me do that," offered Harry, and he took the matches from her. She stood watching him as he finished lighting the candle stubs that stood on saucers around the room, perched precariously on stacks of books and on side tables crammed with cracked and mouldy cups.

Alicia's hand was on her wand as Harry lit another candle by a heap of photographs in frames, the flame dancing before them and reflecting in their dusty glass.

Bathilda began to fumble with logs of fire while Harry had removed the dust from all the photo frames, looking at them.

"Mrs. — Miss — Bagshot?" Harry said, breaking the silence as his voice shook slightly. "Who is this?"

Bathilda was standing in the middle of the room watching Hermione light the fire for her. Alicia was staring at Bathilda.

"Miss Bagshot?" Harry repeated, and he advanced with the picture in his hands as the flames burst into life in the fireplace. Bathilda looked up at his voice.

"Who is this person?" Harry asked her, pushing the picture forward.

She peered at it solemnly, then up at Harry.

"Do you know who this is?" he repeated in a much slower and louder voice than usual. "This man? Do you know him? What's he called?"

Bathilda merely looked vague. Harry felt an awful frustration.

Alicia looked around the room. Why were they here? What did this women want with them, and why had they just agreed to follow her.

"Who is this man?" he repeated loudly.

"Harry, what are you doing?" asked Hermione.

"This picture, Hermione, it's the thief, the thief who stole from Gregorovitch! Please!" he said to Bathilda. "Who is this?"

But she only stared at him.

"Why did you ask us to come with you, Mrs. — Miss — Bagshot?" asked Hermione, raising her own voice. "Was there something you wanted to tell us?"

Giving no sign that she had heard Hermione, Bathilda now shuffled a few steps closer to Harry. With a little jerk of her head she looked back into the hall.

"You want us to leave?" he asked.

She repeated the gesture, this time pointing firstly at him, then at herself, then at the ceiling.

"Oh, right… Hermione, I think she wants me to go upstairs with her."

"No!" Alicia said loudly.

"All right," said Hermione, "let's go."

But when Hermione moved, Bathilda shook her head with surprising vigour, once more pointing first at Harry, then to herself.

"She wants me to go with her, alone."

"Why?" asked Hermione, and her voice rang out sharp and clear in the candlelit room; the old lady shook her head a little at the loud noise.

"Not happening!" Alicia said

"Maybe Dumbledore told her to give the sword to me, and only to me?"

"Are you—"

"Do you really think she knows who you are?"

"Yes," said Harry, looking down into the milky eyes fixed upon his own, "I think she does."

"Well, okay then, but be quick, Harry."

"Lead the way," Harry told Bathilda.

She seemed to understand, because she shuffled around him toward the door. Harry glanced back at Hermione with a reassuring smile, but Hermione had turned from him and was looking at the bookcase, hugging herself in the midst of the candlelit squalor, as though it would bring some comfort.

Alicia watched him as he vanished while Hermione had moved over to a the bookcase and picked up a book, to no ones surprise, but Alicia was watching the stairs. She didn't want Harry alone, she didn't want to be in this house where everything made her wish she was back in the tent, of all places, surrounded by protective charms.

She closed her eyes and concentrated before she was in darkness, only the light of a wand illuminating old Bathilda Bagshot's face.

"You are Potter?" she whispered.

"Yes, I am."

Alicia gasped and Hermione was beside her instantly.

"What?" she demanded scared

"It's a trap— Bathilda… she's speaking parseltongue." Alicia said and she moved for the stairs.

The stairs were steep and narrow but Alicia ran up them with Hermione behind her regardless, keeping her eyes on her feet.

There was a thud and Alicia hissed in pain as she grabbed her forearm and a cry left her lips.

"Alicia!" the girl ignored Hermione and ran up the rest of the stairs, ignoring the pain in her midriff that came next and the air rushing from her lungs.

There was a crash this time and Alicia turned instantly for the bedroom door on her side. There was another thump that shook the floor ever so slightly and then the smashing of glass. Alicia pointed her wand at the door and it blew off it's hinges backwards.

Harry was lying on the floor in the darkness and over the top of him was Nagini, pinning and holding him to the floor.

"… _hold you… hold you…_ "

" _Get off_!" Alicia hissed, the parseltongue instantly coming from her lips before a blinding light shot from her wand.

The snake was blasted off of Harry and into the wall. It turned on Alicia and hissed as Hermione was behind her. Alicia grabbed Hermione and the two dived sideways. A curse Hermione had fired went astray and hit the curtained window, which shattered. Frozen air filled the room as Harry ducked to avoid another shower of broken glass.

Alicia turned back to the snake which hissed so violently it might have roared had it been the right animal. Hermione and Alicia acted in sync and there was a flash of red light, sending the Snake back into the bedroom. It's coils thrashed against the wall and the ceiling and Harry was was hit across the face by it too.

"He's coming! _Hermione, he_ _'_ _s coming_!"

"Then get your ass here!" Alicia snapped. All they needed was one another's hands and a disapparation would get them far away. That was all they needed.

The snake fell, hissing wildly.

Everything was chaos: It smashed shelves from the wall, and splintered china flew everywhere as Harry jumped over the bed, he grabbed Alicia and Hermione, Hermione shrieking in pain as Harry pulled them back across the bed. The snake reared again and Alicia rose her wand as it lunged. Hermione was faster.

" _Confringo_!" and her spell flew around the room, exploding the wardrobe mirror and ricocheting back at them, bouncing from floor to ceiling. Alicia scrambled upwards with Harry and they pulled Hermione as the blast went everywhere. The two siblings jumped from the bed as Alicia felt a searing pain in her side, she ignored it as they landed on the broken dressing table, and then launched straight out the smashed window into nothingness. Hermione screamed as Alicia and Harry had her tightly in their grasped hands and the three of them twisted in midair.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

They were on a snowy hillside, Hermione was sobbing and Harry was lying on the ground beside Alicia. The polyjuice potion was beginning to slowly wear off as the tips of her hair was turning from blonde to black and Hermione's was becoming bushier while Harry's went messy. Alicia looked over Harry, worried but she knew instantly he wasn't dead, and not from their bond, but from the fact that he was moving and muttering, as if having a dream.

Alicia looked him over, his arm was bleeding and instantly she remembered the Snake had bitten him…

 _But it wouldn't kill him._ she knew, because she knew that Voldemort wanted to do it, and even his snake couldn't have the pleasure.

"Hermione. Dittany. Harry's arm." Alicia said and she went to move before she felt a nasty pull in her side and instantly recoiled back. Hermione looked up, her sobs subsiding momentarily and was rummaging in her bag for the dittany. With the tiny bottle clutched in her hand, she moved around to Harry's arm, pulling off the cloth there in order to wash the wound. Alicia watched her, seeing the puncture wounds in his skin, and then Hermione turned when she hadn't moved.

"Do you wanna put the enchantments up?" she offered, her voice shaking a little. Her eyes swept the hillside worryingly as though someone would pop out of no where and another calamity would occur.

"I can, after you pull the glass from my stomach." Alicia said, her breath coming out wispily. Alicia's head was spinning and she knew that if something wasn't done soon, black spots would cover her vision.

Hermione looked down to see a patch of blood over Alicia's top which was stuck to her skin. There was a shard of mirror in her side glistening slightly against the snow and in the darkness.

"Alicia!" Hermione instantly moved forwards with her wand and she helped Alicia lie down.

"What happened?"

"I think it was… when your curse hit the wardrobe mirror… a shard… got me." Alicia breathed.

Hermione muttered under her breath as she had the shard removed, cleaned the wound and instantly put dittany on the stab. Alicia lay still, breathing deeply and even after Hermione went back to Harry she knew not to move.

Harry wasn't quiet, in the last few moments alone he'd begun to moan.

"He has a fever." Hermione mumbled and Alicia slowly sat up.

"We need to get him inside, get some water into him, let him sleep. If he stays in the snow…" Alicia slowly, careful of her freshly healed wound, got to her feet.

"Alicia you shouldn't be moving!" Hermione gasped.

"I know, so I'll take it slowly, carefully and I'll put up the protective charms. You set up the tent and get Harry inside, then I'll sit." Alicia promised. Hermione pursed her lips and watched as Alicia began to move in a wide circle. Each step seemed well thought out as she was careful and slow. Hermione had the tent set up with a flick of her wand before she used a hover charm to get Harry into his bunk. By the time Hermione had covered Harry in many blankets Alicia had finished the protection enchantments, she got changed, washing up as the Polyjuice potion wore off and when she came back out, Harry was Harry again and so was Hermione. Hermione was wiping Harry's forehead as he moaned and Hermione looked worried.

"Alicia…" the girl looked up at Hermione to see a broken expression in her face.

"What's wrong?" Alicia asked and Hermione rolled her lips, her expression worried and guilty before she picked something up for Alicia to see. Alicia moved further forwards before her eyes widened at the look of shock.

In Hermione's hand was Harry's wand. The holly and phoenix wand was nearly severed in two. One fragile strand of phoenix feather kept both pieces hanging together. The wood had splintered apart completely.

"Oh no…" Alicia whispered "How'd that happened?"

"I… I think I did it, with my B-Blasting Curse. Remember it went everywhere—"

"And caused me to get stabbed, yeah. I didn't realise it hit the wand." Alicia mumbled as Hermione looked at her sorrowfully.

"Harry's going to hate me!" Hermione whispered, worried.

"It wasn't your fault Hermione. Your rebounding curse was enough of a distraction to help us get away." Alicia said "Harry wont hate you." she said. Hermione turned back to the boy as he lay sleeping, his head twitching slightly and his eyes moving below their lids.

"He hasn't woken up." Hermione whispered, changing the subject.

"He got bitten by a snake and knowing Voldemort our escape would have made him so angry he's probably overwhelmed Harry." Alicia said as she carefully sat herself into one of the chairs and then rubbed her temple.

"He's letting him in!" Hermione gasped

"What do you want him to do about it? He's not very good at Occlumency when he's awake, let alone while he's asleep." Alicia asked her sighing slightly. Hermione looked her over, the girl was slightly pale but stayed in the seat, still for a moment as though getting her bearings, before leaning down for her bag which she'd dropped on the floor. She pulled out her mirror, which had remained blank since George had appeared in it all those weeks ago, before Ron had left.

Hermione clearly believed arguing with Alicia in her condition was not worth it and so she said nothing. She didn't get much of a chance regardless as Harry shouted and thrashed as he slept. Alicia jumped and put her mirror down, surprised, on the table while Hermione instantly reached to hold Harry, trying to keep him still so he wouldn't hurt himself. Alicia grabbed her wand from her pocket and pointed it at Harry. Instantly he was still and Hermione gapped at him. She turned to Alicia who put her wand beside her mirror.

"Alicia!"

"We can't have him thrashing about, it'll only worsen him. And we can't stop his dreaming while he's unconscious so…" she mumbled in defence. Hermione sighed and dabbed Harry's face again.

Alicia meanwhile got up and, taking her bag, mirror and wand, she went to sit at the entrance of the tent.

"Alicia! What are you doing?" Hermione demanded

"I don't have the strength to look after Harry, it's best you do that, so I'll take first watch. Try and get some sleep too Hermione." Alicia said

"But Alicia…"

"I'm well enough to sit at the entrance of a tent." Alicia said annoyed. Hermione pursed her lips and didn't argue with her. She turned to Harry and watched him as he was still as a plank of wood, his eyes still moving rapidly and his breathing increasing.

"He has a temperature." Hermione whispered

"He'll be fine once he wakes up. It could take a while Hermione, I suggest you get some sleep."

"But…"

"The quicker you sleep the quicker you can take over from me." Alicia said rolling her eyes. Hermione sighed and nodded.

"Alright." Alicia turned and watched Hermione as she pulled one of the chairs over towards Harry and grabbed her blanket from her bed, sitting herself down.

Alicia sighed as she looked over the white darkness, the snow glistening under the dark sky, everything black and grey in the lateness of the night.

How stupid they had been! Going to Godric's Hollow was the worst decision ever! They hadn't discovered anything about the sword, Bathilda had likely been dead for months! Voldemort had known they'd go to the house all along! Just like Hermione had first assumed and just as Alicia had warned them. She'd known the sword wouldn't be there, as well as it being dangerous! They only thing they'd accomplished was seeing their parents graves and seeing how people were supporting them even now on the sign by the house.

Perhaps it could have been made a worthwhile trip, if only they'd had the sword before going. They could have killed Nagini and taken out a Horcrux! The hardest one ever and it had been right in front of them!

They needed that sword, not just for the locket's destruction, but in case they ever came up against Nagini like that again. It would have been the perfect opportunity! Alicia had heard her parseltongue, she could have had the sword in her hand to swipe at the serpent as she'd blown open the door, but it was still with Snape. And all because she hadn't tried hard enough to tell Phineas where they were.

Alicia turned to see Hermione's head slumped in her chair, Harry still unconscious and the beaded bag sitting on the table where Hermione had put it. She got up from her spot, ignoring the slight pull at her freshly healed wound and moved over to the beaded bag. Alicia moved it back to the entrance, turning her back on the snow as to keep the tent in her sights, Hermione and Harry the prime concern to be watched.

Alicia reached into the bag, feeling for the object she wanted until her hand clutched against the frame of the portrait. She instantly began to yank it out, the large frame struggling through the tiny opening until Alicia held the frame before her. She glanced back at Hermione and Harry again as she licked her lips.

"Professor Black." she whispered ever so quietly. "Phineas Nigellus. I really need to talk to you, please."

"Well, I guess seeing as you asked nicely." Phineas said as he walked into the frame, his blind fold over his eyes. Alicia pulled out her wand and pointed it at the portrait so that the blind fold vanished and Phineas blinked surprised.

"I don't think it right, nor necessary, to blind fold you." she said and Phineas eyed her.

"You trust me to see your hide out?" he said

"I need you to know where we are. I need Professor Snape to be able to get the sword of Gryffindor to us!" Alicia whispered

"The sword of Gryffindor?" Phineas said all too loudly so that Alicia shushed him and looked back at Hermione and Harry. Hermione had stirred slightly.

"Please keep your vice down or you'll wake them." she whispered

"You're going behind your friends' backs?" he said again surprised.

"Yes, because I know things they don't, and Professor Snape is our only hope." Alicia said

"Know things? What could a child like you know?" Alicia sighed aggravated and glanced at the two again before looking back at the portrait.

"I know that the Sword of Gryffindor was swapped out for a fake, and the fake is in Gringotts. I also know that Professor Snape was asked to kill Professor Dumbledore, by the Headmaster himself. I know he didn't betray anyone. I also know he loved my mother, and that's why Dumbledore trusted him so much. I know Professor Snape will have the real sword, or at least know where it is and we need it!" Phineas stared at her

"And how would you know all this?" he questioned

"I know how to piece information together." Alicia responded. Phineas stared at her for a moment and she let him.

"You trust Professor Snape? You agree with his methods?"

"I agree that he's done all he can, and everything that's been asked of him, in order to help Dumbledore." Alicia said "I don't care for his hate for my father or my brother, I only care that he's done all he can, and done so so well that so many dislike and distrust him." Alicia frowned "It must be terrible that he has only done what was asked and yet the entire world hates him for it. I can't imagine how that must feel." she whispered.

Phineas said nothing as Alicia took a breath.

"Now, back to the topic at hand, unfortunately, right now, I do not know where we are. We're on a snowy hillside which Hermione brought us to. But we move every morning and generally don't spend more than one night at a place. We pitch the tent and we have protective enchantments all around us to deter muggles, keep us hidden, silent, so no one can get to us. Phineas, if I take us somewhere, I will tell you if I can." she sighed and looked back at Hermione and Harry. "No one else knows about what I know. Dumbledore never told me Snape's secret in loving my mother, I worked it out. Dumbledore never told me of the deal between him and Snape, I worked that out too. And I know what's in store for Harry's fate. But I cannot tell anyone any of this, for reasons obvious. And so I cannot tell you where we are while Harry and Hermione are listening or watching." she said quietly. "Professor Black, I implore you to listen to us, whenever you can, and I will do my best, make the circumstances right, for you to hear our location."

"You want me to pass this on to the Headmaster?" Phones said

"Yes! The moment you receive it. I believe it is for his best interest." Alicia nodded "Well… for ours as well, but he cannot help us without this information. And we need his help."

Phineas looked at her for a moment.

"Well I guess seeing as you've got most of the facts no one besides the Headmaster, and the previous Headmaster had known… Professor Snape has been interested in your whereabouts." he said

"And that's why you've been asking. Asking Hermione and Harry will get you know where though." she believed

"How long have you known all this?" Phones wondered

"Well… I knew Dumbledore was dying before his death. I knew Snape killed Dumbledore on his orders as I sat beside the Headmaster's body that night. I knew Snape loved my mother the same day I discovered Dumbledore was dying and that Harry has to be killed by You-Know-Who," she glanced at her brother again. "I only learnt the sword of Gryffindor was necessary for us, and that a fake had been made, not too long ago…" she said thinking.

"This is why you sent the house elf to Professor Snape." Alicia looked at the portrait surprised.

"Yes. I believed it important that he knew we had your portrait. See if he could try and watch us if necessary. Honestly we forgot we had it for a while but…" she smiled sheepishly. "Is it alright for you to inform Professor Snape for me?" she wondered

"I will do my best. I think some of it he may appreciate."

"I hope he's not too mad at me…" she said "Tell him I'm sorry for being a pain in his class too." she chuckled slightly "My temper can get out of control."

"I will pass along your message, in return for fixing my portrait." he decided

"Well, don't say anything to Hermione about me doing that when she next takes out your portrait and it'll be fine." Alicia promised.

"Good night Miss Potter."

"Good night Professor." Alicia nodded and the man turned and walked out of his portrait. Alicia watched it for a moment before she began to shove it back into the beaded bag. She made sure to put it back on the table where Hermione had left it and left the thing open.

Alicia sat at the tent entrance feeling much more content with herself now, feeling she may have accomplished something. If she could make sure their whereabouts were spoken while the bag was open, then they'd have the sword. One less thing to find and one less thing to worry about.

She turned around to look at Harry. All they needed now was for Harry to wake up.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

" _Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!_ _"_

 _He could have forced her away from the crib, but it seemed more prudent to finish them all…_

 _The green light flashed around the room and she dropped like her_ _husband. The children had not cried all this time: The boy could stand, clutching the bars of his crib, his sister sat beside him staring at the hood with wonder. He looked up into the intruder_ _'_ _s face with a kind of bright interest, perhaps thinking that it was his father who hid beneath the cloak, making more pretty lights, and his mother would pop up any moment, laughing_ —

 _He pointed the wand very carefully into the boy_ _'_ _s face: The girl began to cry instantly. He wanted to see it happen, the destruction of this one, inexplicable danger. The crying child caused her brother to begin to cry also: It had seen that he was not James. He did not like it crying, he had never been able to stomach the small ones whining in the orphanage_ —

" _Avada Kedavra!"_

 _And then he broke: He was nothing, nothing but pain and terror, and he must hide himself, not here in the rubble of the ruined house, where the children were trapped and screaming, but far away… far away…_

 _The snake rustled on the filthy, cluttered floor, and he had killed the boy, and yet he_ was _the boy…_

 _And now he stood at the broken window of Bathilda_ _'_ _s house, immersed in memories of his greatest loss, and at his feet the great snake slithered over broken china and glass… He looked down and saw something… something incredible…_

"No…"

"Harry, it's all right, you're all right!"

 _He stooped down and picked up the smashed photograph. There he was, the unknown thief, the thief he was seeking…_

"No I dropped it… I dropped it…"

"Harry, it's okay, wake up, wake up!"

Alicia jumped and found herself slumped against the side of the tent. She'd clearly fallen asleep while watching the tent entrance. The air was rather chilly, but Alicia's Phoenix Flint kept her from feeling it as she looked out at the stillness before dawn. The sky was a flat light, just beginning beyond the horizon. Hermione was awake behind her as Alicia rubbed her eyes and turned, Harry it seemed was becoming more awake and he was moaning, speaking aloud. It seemed Alicia's body bind had worn off.

Alicia yawned as Harry opened his eyes. He'd been dreaming of their parents death? Alicia frowned, that was something that only happened from the dementors.

"Harry," Hermione whispered. "Do you feel all — all right?"

"Yes," he lied.

"Sure…" Alicia said and Hermione turned to her as she stretched and then recoiled, grabbing her side. She was still for a moment before she moved over to Hermione and Harry. Harry was covered in sweat over his face and assumed he wasn't much different below, given his dream.

"We got away." Harry stated

"Yes," said Hermione. "I had to use a Hover Charm to get you into your bunk, I couldn't lift you. Alicia was putting up the charms. You've been… Well, you haven't been quite…"

"Or still, had to put a body bind jinx on you to keep you thrashing about." Alicia said as she kneeled beside her brother's bed.

"You've been ill," she finished. "Quite ill."

"You got a fever." Alicia said

"How long ago did we leave?"

"Hours ago. It's nearly morning."

"And I've been… what, unconscious?"

"Not exactly," said Hermione uncomfortably. "You've been shouting and moaning and… things," she added. Hermione looked at Alicia but she hadn't heard him shouting, only his moans.

"I couldn't get the Horcrux off you," Hermione said, changing the subject. "It was stuck, stuck to your chest. You've got a mark; I'm sorry, I had to use a Severing Charm to get it away."

"When did you do tat?" Alicia wondered

"I remembered it when I woke up." she confessed before turning back to Harry. "The snake bit you too, but I've cleaned the wound and put some dittany on it…"

Harry pulled the sweaty T-shirt he was wearing away from himself and looked down. There was a scarlet oval over his heart where the locket had burned him. He could also see the half-healed puncture marks to his forearm.

"Where've you put the Horcrux?"

"In my bag. I think we should keep it off for a while."

Alicia nodded. "Probably for the best."

He lay back on his pillows and looked into her pinched grey face.

"We shouldn't have gone to Godric's Hollow. It's my fault, it's all my fault, Hermione, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I wanted to go too; I really thought Dumbledore might have left the sword there for you."

"Yeah, well… we got that wrong, didn't we?"

"You two did. DIdn't I tell you all along it was dangerous, a trap and a waste of time, that the sword wouldn't be there? If you want to apologise to anyone it should be me. I'm the one who got stabbed after all."

"What?!" Harry sat himself up slightly and Alicia shrugged, she pulled her shirt up to show the half healed stab wound in her stomach.

"Piece of mirror as we were leaving." she mumbled "Seriously though, I expect apologies." she said looking at them both.

"We're sorry we didn't listen to you Alicia." Harry said and she nodded, leaving it at that.

"What happened, Harry? What happened when she took you upstairs? Alicia said Bathilda had spoken Parseltongue, but, she can't have. Was the snake hiding somewhere? Did it just come out and kill her and attack you?"

"No," he said. " _She_ was the snake… or the snake was her… all along."

"W-what?" Alicia had the same expression as Hermione.

"Well… guess that'd explain the parseltongue." she mumbled

"Bathilda must've been dead a while. The snake was… was inside her. You-Know-Who put it there in Godric's Hollow, to wait. You were right. He knew I'd go back."

"The snake was _inside_ her?"

"He must've cast some really dark magic to have the snake do that…" Alicia whispered, feeling disgusting as though something was inside her now. Hermione looked revolted as well, nauseated.

"Lupin said there would be magic we'd never imagined," Harry said. "She didn't want to talk in front of you, because it was Parseltongue, all Parseltongue, and I didn't realise, but of course I could understand her. Once we were up in the room, the snake sent a message to You-Know-Who, I heard it happen inside my head, I felt him get excited, he said to keep me there… and then…"

"You might not have recognised it… but I did. I had a terrible feeling off that women, and in her house made me feel trapped and in danger. I watched you with Bathilda when you were in the bedroom. I recognised the paresltongue when she asked if you were you." Alicia said and looked at Hermione.

"She checked who I was and then… she changed, changed into the snake, and attacked."

He looked down at the puncture marks.

"It wasn't supposed to kill me, just keep me there till You-Know-Who came."

Alicia nodded. "He wants to kill you himself, even Nagini can't have that right." she mumbled.

Harry said nothing before he sat up and threw back the covers.

"Harry, no, I'm sure you ought to rest!"

"You're the ones who needs sleep. No offence, but you both look terrible."

"I wont take offence, but Hermione actually slept."

"You didn't? You're injured!"

"I can sit at a tent entrance. It doesn't involve much movement you know."

"Well so can I. I'm fine. I'll keep watch for a while. Where's my wand?"

The two girls stayed silent and they shared a look as Harry looked down at them.

"Where's my wand, Hermione?"

She was biting her lip, and tears swam in her eyes. Alicia sighed.

"Harry…"

" _Where_ _'_ _s my wand_?" When Hermione still hesitated Alicia picked the wand up from beside the bed and held it to her brother. He stared at it for a moment before he took it in his hands, as though it was a living thing that had suffered a terrible injury. After another moment, he held it out to Hermione.

"Mend it. Please."

"Harry, I don't think, when it's broken like this —"

"Please, Hermione, try!"

" _R-Reparo._ "

The dangling half of the wand resealed itself. Harry held it up.

" _Lumos_!"

The wand sparked feebly, then went out. Harry pointed it at Hermione.

" _Expelliarmus_!"

Hermione's wand gave a little jerk, but did not leave her hand. The feeble attempt at magic was too much for Harry's wand, which split into two again. He stared at it, aghast, unable to take in what he was seeing… the wand that had survived so much…

"Harry," Hermione whispered so quietly he could hardly hear her. "I'm so, so sorry. I think it was me. As we were leaving, you know, the snake was coming for us, and so I cast a Blasting Curse, and it rebounded everywhere, and it must have — must have hit —"

"It was an accident," said Harry mechanically. "We'll — we'll find a way to repair it."

"Harry, I don't think we're going to be able to," said Hermione, the tears trickling down her face. "Remember… remember Ron? When he broke his wand, crashing the car? It was never the same again, he had to get a new one."

"I don't know if it can be fixed Harry." Alicia whispered and he looked at her. "Wands are different."

"Well," he said, in a falsely matter-of-fact voice, "well, I'll just borrow yours for now, then. While I keep watch."

The girls shared a look and Alicia handed her wand over.

"Mines close to yours, it might work better for you than Hermione's." she said and Harry took it. He got up and walked to the entrance of the tent. Hermione sobbed and Alicia hugged her.

"It's all my fault."

"We'll figure something out." Alicia whispered "If we need to steal another for him we will. But probably best we stay out of trouble while one of us is unarmed." Hermione said nothing but got up and moved for a chair, where she opened a book. It wasn't her book of children's stories, but a book Alicia had never seen before.

"What is that Hermione?"

"It's _The Lite and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_." she said carefully

"Where did you get that?"

"Bathilda's." Hermione muttered. Alicia pursed her lips and looked at the book, uncertain.

"What's it like…?" she asked carefully. Hermione responded by handing it over to Alicia. The black-haired girl took it as Hermione went to make some tea. Alicia opened it, causally flicking through for a bit before she stopped and her eyes widened. A photograph sat before her with the young Dumbledore and his handsome companion, roaring with laughter at some long-forgotten joke.

A caption sat below it.

 _Albus Dumbledore, shortly after his mother_ _'_ _s death, with his friend Gellert Grindelwald._

Alicia stared at it. Grindelwald? Dumbledore and him were friends?

 _Well, they were both brilliant, even if Grindelwald was insane… perhaps its not surprising the two brilliant minds found one another…_ Alicia said frowning as she looked at the photograph.

She knew the face instantly, Harry had been dreaming about it and seeing it for ages, for Voldemort was after this person. This person had stolen something from Gregorovitch, the wand maker.

"Guys!" she said and Hermione and Harry both turned to her.

"What?" they both asked.

"Here." she got up and moved over to Harry, waving Hermione over as well.

"What's that?" Harry asked as he looked at the book.

"Hermione got it." she said as she showed the pristine cover.

"Where — how — ?"

"It was in Bathilda's sitting room, just lying there… This note was sticking out of the top of it."

Hermione read the few lines of spiky, acid-green writing aloud.

" ' _Dear Batty, Thanks for your help. Here_ _'_ _s a copy of the book, hope you like it. You said everything, even if you don_ _'_ _t remember it. Rita._ _'_ I think it must have arrived while the real Bathilda was alive, but perhaps she wasn't in any fit state to read it?"

"No, she probably wasn't."

Harry looked at the book in Alicia's hands as Hermione watched him.

"You're still really angry at me, aren't you?" said Hermione she had fresh tears leaking out of her eyes, Harry's anger had shown in his face.

"No," he said quietly. "No, Hermione, I know it was an accident. You were trying to get us out of there alive, and you were incredible. I'd be dead if you and Alicia hadn't been there to help me."

"Well, anyway, here." Alicia said showing the photograph. "The guy in the photograph, that you were asking about?" Alicia said and Harry looked down at it.

Harry looked down at it and Hermione looked over Alicia's shoulder, looking at the photo and reading the caption.

Harry looked up first while Hermione was still contemplating the most important and surprising part of the caption. Slowly, she looked at the twins. " _Grindelwald_?"

Taking the book completely from Alicia Harry began to search the pages around them, ignoring the other photographs, for a recurrence of that fatal name. He found it and Alicia went to read, before Harry was turning the pages further back. Hermione moved around to Harry's other side to read as well once Harry stopped, at the beginning of the chapter titled "The Greater Good."

The three put their heads together and began to read:

 _Now approaching his eighteenth birthday, Dumbledore left Hogwarts in a blaze of glory — Head Boy, Prefect, Winner of the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting, British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot, Gold Medal-Winner for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo. Dumbledore intended, next, to take a Grand Tour with Elphias_ _"_ _Dogbreath_ _"_ _Doge, the dim-witted but devoted sidekick he had picked up at school._

 _The two young men were staying at the Leaky Cauldron in London, preparing to depart for Greece the following morning, when an owl arrived bearing news of Dumbledore_ _'_ _s mother_ _'s_ _death._ _"_ _Dogbreath_ _"_ _Doge, who refused to be interviewed for this book, has given the public his own sentimental version of what happened next. He represents Kendra_ _'_ _s death as a tragic blow, and Dumbledore_ _'_ _s decision to give up his expedition as an act of noble self-sacrifice._

 _Certainly Dumbledore returned to Godric_ _'_ _s Hollow at once, supposedly to_ _"care"_ _for his younger brother and sister. But how much care did he actually give them?_

" _He was a head case, that Aberforth,_ _"_ _says Enid Smeek, whose family lived on the outskirts of Godric_ _'_ _s Hollow at that time._ _"_ _Ran wild._ _'_ _Course, with his mum and dad gone you_ _'_ _d have felt sorry for him, only he kept chucking goat dung at my head. I don_ _'_ _t think Albus was fussed about him, I never saw them together, anyway._ _"_

 _So what was Albus doing, if not comforting his wild young brother? The answer, it seems, is ensuring the continued imprisonment of his sister. For, though her first jailer had died, there was no change in the pitiful condition of Ariana Dumbledore. Her very existence continued to be known only to those few outsiders who, like_ _"_ _Dogbreath_ _"_ _Doge, could be counted upon to believe in the story of her_ _"_ _ill health._ _"_

 _Another such easily satisfied friend of the family was Bathilda Bagshot, the celebrated magical historian who has lived in Godric_ _'_ _s Hollow for many years. Kendra, of course, had rebuffed Bathilda when she first attempted to welcome the family to the village. Several years later, however, the author sent an owl to Albus at Hogwarts, having been favourably impressed by his paper on trans-species transformation in Transfiguration Today. This initial contact led to acquaintance with the entire Dumbledore family. At the time of Kendra_ _'_ _s death, Bathilda was the only person in Godric_ _'_ _s Hollow who was on speaking terms with Dumbledore_ _'_ _s mother._

 _Unfortunately, the brilliance that Bathilda exhibited earlier in her life has now dimmed._ _"_ _The fire_ _'_ _s lit, but the cauldron_ _'_ _s empty,_ _"_ _as Ivor Dillonsby put it to me, or, in Enid Smeek_ _'_ _s slightly earthier phrase,_ _"_ _She_ _'_ _s nutty as squirrel poo._ _"_ _Nevertheless, a combination of tried-and-tested reporting techniques enabled me to extract enough nuggets of hard fact to string together the whole scandalous story._

 _Like the rest of the Wizarding world, Bathilda puts Kendra_ _'_ _s premature death down to a backfiring charm, a story repeated by Albus and Aberforth in later years. Bathilda also parrots the family line on Ariana, calling her_ _"_ _frail_ _"_ _and_ _"_ _delicate._ _"_ _On one subject, however, Bathilda is well worth the effort I put into procuring Veritaserum, for she, and she alone, knows the full story of the best-kept secret of Albus Dumbledore_ _'_ _s life. Now revealed for the first time, it calls into question everything that his admirers believed of Dumbledore: his supposed hatred of the Dark Arts, his opposition to the oppression of Muggles, even his devotion to his own family._

 _The very same summer that Dumbledore went home to Godric_ _'_ _s Hollow, now an orphan and head of the family, Bathilda Bagshot agreed to accept into her home her great-nephew, Gellert Grindelwald._

 _The name of Grindelwald is justly famous: In a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time, he would miss out on the top spot only because You-Know-Who arrived, a generation later, to steal his crown. As Grindelwald never extended his campaign of terror to Britain, however, the details of his rise to power are not widely known here._

 _Educated at Durmstrang, a school famous even then for its unfortunate tolerance of the Dark Arts, Grindelwald showed himself quite as precociously brilliant as Dumbledore. Rather than channel his abilities into the attainment of awards and prizes, however, Gellert Grindelwald devoted himself to other pursuits. At sixteen years old, even Durmstrang felt it could no longer turn a blind eye to the twisted experiments of Gellert Grindelwald, and he was expelled._

 _Hitherto, all that has been known of Grindelwald_ _'_ _s next movements is that he_ _"_ _traveled abroad for some months._ _"_ _It can now be revealed that Grindelwald chose to visit his great-aunt in Godric_ _'_ _s Hollow, and that there, intensely shocking though it will be for many to hear it, he struck up a close friendship with none other than Albus Dumbledore._

" _He seemed a charming boy to me,_ _"_ _babbles Bathilda,_ _"_ _whatever he became later. Naturally I introduced him to poor Albus, who was missing the company of lads his own age. The boys took to each other at once._ _"_

 _They certainly did. Bathilda shows me a letter, kept by her, that Albus Dumbledore sent Gellert Grindelwald in the dead of night._

" _Yes, even after they_ _'_ _d spent all day in discussion — both such brilliant young boys, they got on like a cauldron on fire —_ _I'_ _d sometimes hear an owl tapping at Gellert_ _'_ _s bedroom window, delivering a letter from Albus! An idea would have struck him, and he had to let Gellert know immediately!_ _"_

 _And what ideas they were. Profoundly shocking though_ _Albus Dumbledore'_ _s fans will find it, here are the thoughts of their seventeen-year-old hero, as relayed to his new best friend. (A copy of the original letter may be seen on page 463.)_

 _Gellert_ _—_

 _Your point about Wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLES_ _'_ _OWN GOOD — this, I think, is the crucial point. Yes, we have been given power and yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the ruled. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build. Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis of all our counterarguments. We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD. And from this it follows that where we meet resistance, we must use only the force that is necessary and no more. (This was your mistake at Durmstrang! But I do not complain, because if you had not been expelled, we would never have met.)_

 _Albus_

 _Astonished and appalled though his many admirers will be, this letter constitutes proof that Albus Dumbledore once dreamed of overthrowing the Statute of Secrecy and establishing Wizard rule over Muggles. What a blow for those who have always portrayed Dumbledore as the Muggle-_ _borns_ _'_ _greatest champion! How hollow those speeches promoting Muggle rights seem in the light of this damning new evidence! How despicable does Albus Dumbledore appear, busy plotting his rise to power when he should have been mourning his mother and caring for his sister!_

 _No doubt those determined to keep Dumbledore on his crumbling pedestal will bleat that he did not, after all, put his plans into action, that he must have suffered a change of heart, that he came to his senses. However, the truth seems altogether more shocking._

 _Barely two months into their great new friendship, Dumbledore and Grindelwald parted, never to see each other again until they met for their legendary duel (for more, see chapter 22). What caused this abrupt rupture? Had Dumbledore come to his senses? Had he told Grindelwald he wanted no more part in his plans? Alas, no._

" _It was poor little Ariana dying, I think, that did it,_ _"_ _says Bathilda._ _"_ _It came as an awful shock. Gellert was there in the house when it happened, and he came back to my house all of a dither, told me he wanted to go home the next day. Terribly distressed, you know. So I arranged a Portkey and that was the last I saw of him._

" _Albus was beside himself at Ariana_ _'_ _s death. It was so dreadful for those two brothers. They had lost everybody except each other. No wonder tempers ran a little high. Aberforth blamed Albus, you know, as people will under these dreadful circumstances. But Aberforth always talked a little madly, poor boy. All the same, breaking Albus_ _'_ _s nose at the funeral was not decent. It would have destroyed Kendra to see her sons fighting like that, across her daughter_ _'_ _s body. A shame Gellert could not have stayed for the funeral… He would have been a comfort to Albus, at least…_ _"_

 _This dreadful coffin-side brawl, known only to those few who attended Ariana Dumbledore_ _'_ _s funeral, raises several questions. Why exactly did Aberforth Dumbledore blame Albus for his sister_ _'_ _s death? Was it, as_ _"_ _Batty_ _"_ _pretends, a mere effusion of grief? Or could there have been some more concrete reason for his fury? Grindelwald, expelled from Durmstrang for near-fatal attacks upon fellow students, fled the country hours after the girl_ _'_ _s death, and Albus (out of shame or fear?) never saw him again, not until forced to do so by the pleas of the Wizarding world._

 _Neither Dumbledore nor Grindelwald ever seems to have referred to this brief boyhood friendship in later life. However, there can be no doubt that Dumbledore delayed, for some five years of turmoil, fatalities, and disappearances, his attack upon Gellert Grindelwald. Was it lingering affection for the man or fear of exposure as his once best friend that caused Dumbledore to hesitate? Was it only reluctantly that Dumbledore set out to capture the man he was once so delighted he had met?_

 _And how did the mysterious Ariana die? Was she the inadvertent victim of some Dark rite? Did she stumble across something she ought not to have done, as the two young men sat practicing for their attempt at glory and domination? Is it possible that Ariana Dumbledore was the first person to die_ _"_ _for the greater good_ _"?_

The chapter ended. Alicia and Hermione reached the bottom before Harry did and he looked up, clearly finished. Hermione tugged the book out of Harry's hands, looking a little alarmed by his expression, and closed it without looking at it, as though hiding something indecent.

"Harry —"

But he shook his head.

Alicia took a breath. Dumbledore had wanted power over the Muggles? Did it have anything to do with his father killing some muggles? She wondered if his Father had had a reason? Or was he just a violent person? If he was, was that why Ariana had issues? Or did Kendra really lock her up? Did she do it because she was a squib?

Alicia took another deep breath. Rita was right, he hadn't acted on these thoughts and perhaps all that Grindelwald did, was cause him to realise Muggles were worth protecting? She hoped so. Something caused Dumbledore to realise what was right and what was necessary. With a father who, possibly, clearly didn't like muggles, it would have taken a bit for him to see otherwise. A person couldn't help how they were raised.

Harry it seemed didn't see it that way. She could feel disappointment coming from him as well as bubbling anger. Lost almost and she turned to him.

"Harry." Hermione spoke first. "Listen to me. It — it doesn't make very nice reading —"

"Yeah, you could say that —"

"— but don't forget, Harry, this is Rita Skeeter writing."

"You did read that letter to Grindelwald, didn't you?"

"Yes, I — I did." She hesitated, looking upset, cradling her tea in her cold hands. "I think that's the worst bit. I know Bathilda thought it was all just talk, but 'For the Greater Good' became Grindelwald's slogan, his justification for all the atrocities he committed later… And from that… it looks like Dumbledore gave him the idea. They say 'For the Greater Good' was even carved over the entrance to Nurmengard."

"What's Nurmengard?"

"The prison Grindelwald had built to hold his opponents. He ended up in there himself, once Dumbledore had caught him. Anyway, it's — it's an awful thought that Dumbledore's ideas helped Grindelwald rise to power. But on the other hand, even Rita can't pretend that they knew each other for more than a few months one summer when they were both really young, and —"

"I thought you'd say that," said Harry. His voice shook slightly as his anger bubbled. "I thought you'd say 'They were young.' They were the same age as we are now. And here we are, risking our lives to fight the Dark Arts, and there he was, in a huddle with his new best friend, plotting their rise to power over the Muggles."

In his frustration Harry got up ad began to walk around.

Alicia said nothing, she knew he couldn't be reasoned with, and the more Hermione and she tried defending Dumbledore, the more it'd anger Harry.

"I'm not trying to defend what Dumbledore wrote," said Hermione. "All that 'right to rule' rubbish, it's 'Magic Is Might' all over again. But Harry, his mother had just died, he was stuck alone in the house —"

"Alone? He wasn't alone! He had his brother and sister for company, his Squib sister he was keeping locked up —"

"I don't believe it," said Hermione. She stood up too. "Whatever was wrong with that girl, I don't think she was a Squib. The Dumbledore we knew would never, ever have allowed —"

"The Dumbledore we thought we knew didn't want to conquer Muggles by force!" Harry shouted, his voice echoing across the empty hilltop, and several blackbirds rose into the air, squawking and spiralling against the pearly sky.

"He changed, Harry, he changed! It's as simple as that! Maybe he did believe these things when he was seventeen, but the whole of the rest of his life was devoted to fighting the Dark Arts! Dumbledore was the one who stopped Grindelwald, the one who always voted for Muggle protection and Muggle-born rights, who fought You-Know-Who from the start, and who died trying to bring him down!"

Rita's book lay on the ground between them, so that the face of Albus Dumbledore smiled dolefully at both.

"Harry, I'm sorry, but I think the real reason you're so angry is that Dumbledore never told you any of this himself."

"Maybe I am!" Harry bellowed, and he flung his arms over his head. "Look what he asked from me, Hermione! Risk your life, Harry! And again! And again! And don't expect me to explain everything, just trust me blindly, trust that I know what I'm doing, trust me even though I don't trust you! Never the whole truth! Never!"

Alicia bowed her head, no one could really argue that.

"Sometimes knowing the truth is not the right thing." she whispered. "Being handed the answers… instead it can cause you to get delusional over it all." Alicia said and Harry looked at her as she looked at him. "Imagine if you knew everything and it put you off, no matter what the right thing was, or you were consumed by the end that was coming, instead of what was important?" she offered "Clearly Dumbledore went through something that caused him to change, and realise a few things. He didn't tell us everything, fine, perhaps it was better for us that way."

"How is this better?!" Harry bellowed "We're wandering around with nothing!"

"It took Dumbledore an entire year to find one Horcrux!" Alicia responded "Here we are, with one after a few weeks, another we know where it is, an assumption of one — even if Hermione disagrees — which means only one is missing!"

"And we can't do anything about them!" Harry reminded her

"Well it wouldn't be so hard if you weren't so narrow minded!" Alicia shouted back as she was now on her feet. "There could be an answer staring you in the face and you wouldn't see it, because you're letting this anger cloud your judgement! Who cares if Dumbledore never told us things, what reason did he have to tell us his past? How can you be angry when we never even bothered to ask him of his past! You showed no desire to know and you expect him to blab?"

Harry looked at her and she stared back. Hermione was still stilling on the floor beside Alicia, watching them both. It was she who broke the emptiness their silence had created.

"He loved you," Hermione whispered. "I know he loved you. Both of you." she looked at Alicia who smiled lightly back.

Harry dropped his arms.

"I don't know who he loved, Hermione, but it was never me. This isn't love, the mess he's left me in. He shared a damn sight more of what he was really thinking with Gellert Grindelwald than he ever shared with me."

Harry picked up Hermione's wand, which he had dropped in the snow, and sat back down in the entrance of the tent.

"Thanks for the tea. I'll finish the watch. You get back in the warm."

Alicia left the entrance of the tent without another word and after a moment Hermione moved as well. She picked up the book, brushing the top of Harry's head lightly, and followed Alicia who'd sat herself down in a chair and pulled one of her many books from her bag to keep herself occupied.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

Due to Alicia and Harry's injuries they didn't move from the snowy hillside and stayed another night. Hermione had the next watch at Midnight and Alicia was given a full night's sleep, however she didn't sleep very well. Several times she woke up after hearing someone calling out from a distance, footsteps joined it and she even got out of bed to join Hermione, to check.

"Did you hear anything?" she whispered and Hermione pursed her lips

"I keep thinking I'm hearing people… I thought I just saw someone."

"I keep thinking the same, like someone's shouting out…" she mumbled "I wondered if I was dreaming it but… maybe there is someone out there?"

"But why would they be shouting?"

"Could be a muggle who's lost?" Alicia offered, crouching beside the girl. "Or a lonely… wizard." she mumbled. Hermione turned to her, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" Hermione asked. Alicia looked at her but she shook her head and looked out at the trees around them

"I'll sit with you, clearly I can't sleep, and if someone is out there…" Hermione smiled at her gratefully. Alicia eyed the trees.

 _A lonely wizard, wondering around, calling out as if looking for someone…_ Ron flashed though Alicia's mind and she stared at the darkness that engulfed most of their surroundings. She'd already guessed he'd want to come running back, but that didn't mean he'd actually find them. And if Ron was wondering around the woods right now, knowing they were here, how had he found them?

Harry seemed to have been awoken but the calls and voices as well, for he got up and joined the two girls as Hermione was reading _A History of Magic_ by the light of her wand and Alicia was staring out, deep in thought.

Both girls looked up at him as the snow was falling thickly and he made the suggestion they pack up early and move on.

Hermione was more than happy too.

"We'll go somewhere more sheltered," she agreed, shivering as she pulled on a sweatshirt over her pyjamas. "I kept thinking I could hear people moving outside. I even thought I saw somebody once or twice."

Harry paused in the act of pulling on a jumper and glanced at the silent, motionless Sneakoscope on the table.

"I'm sure I imagined it," said Hermione, looking nervous. "The snow in the dark, it plays tricks on your eyes… But perhaps we ought to Disapparate under the Invisibility Cloak, just in case?"

Alicia frowned, but she didn't argue. After all, it could be anyone, and perhaps she just hoped Ron was coming back as he always did so that it was the four of them again, so Hermione could be happy and Harry could have his best friend back? But there was no way Ron would be able to locate them, even without their protective charms, there was no way to check the entire countryside for them.

And so, she helped pack up in silence until, half an hour later, Harry had the Horcrux, Hermione had her bag and Alicia held both their hands as they stood beneath the invisibility cloak and Disapparated.

Once the tightness had released them and the had darkness gone, their feet left the snowy ground to be treated with a hard set of frozen earth covered in leaves.

"Where are we?" he asked, peering around at a fresh mass of trees and Alicia instantly looked at Hermione, who had the beaded bag and began tugging out tent poles. She grinned ever so slightly with the hope Phineas was listening as she had instructed.

"The Forest of Dean," she said. "I came camping here once with my mum and dad."

Here too snow lay on the trees all around and it was bitterly cold, but they were at least protected from the wind. They spent most of the day inside the tent, huddled for warmth around the useful bright blue flames that Hermione was so adept at producing, and which could be scooped up and carried around in a jar. That afternoon fresh flakes drifted down upon them, so that even their sheltered clearing had a fresh dusting of powdery snow.

Alicia dozed off in her chair, her book in her lap as Hermione and Harry, in hushed tones as to not wake her, argued over who would take first watch. Harry won and told Hermione to go to bed before he moved a cushion to the tent mouth and sat, all of his layers on.

 _Alicia!_

The girl's eyebrows furrowed as she slept and she registered an uncomfortable stiffness in her body.

 _Alicia!_

The voice was sounding through her head and she resisted the silence around the tent as she began to open her eyes.

 _Alicia…_

She recognised the voice and Alicia jolted upwards before turning around for the tent mouth. Harry was standing at the mouth of the cave and Hermione's wand in his hand, having taken her's for the night while Alicia had slept. There was a bright light beyond Harry and out within the darkness that seemed so dense nothing but it could be seen.

Alicia moved forwards and Harry jumped as she appeared at his shoulder. There was a light moving through the trees, making not a single sound, as it came closer and closer. The light was so blinding that the twins both had to squint in order to make out the figure.

The source of the light stepped out from behind an oak. It was a silver-white doe, moon-bright and dazzling, picking her way over the ground, still silent, and leaving no hoof prints in the fine powdering of snow. She stepped toward them, her beautiful head with its wide, long-lashed eyes held high.

Alicia looked around, trying to find the owner of the beautiful patronus. She could not understand who would be out there, sending this message towards them. The doe was staring at them, clearly knowing they were there and also being sent to them for a soul purpose. Her talk with Phineas two nights before and Hermione saying their location as she opened the bag for Phineas to hear them came back to her…

Could Snape's Patronus, be a doe?

Alicia wondered why… it was such a soft and beautiful creature, to fit with someone with a personality like Snape's… But there was no one else who could be around and be sending a message for them.

 _Unless it was the person who had been shouting before…_

Not Ron but some stranger… but how could they have followed them here? How was it possible? And why send them something beautiful and harmless as a die? To draw them out? If they knew they were here then the enchantments were likely useless anyway, wouldn't rushing the tent unexpected be better?

 _No…_ Alicia believed, for they'd awoken her. A legilimens had gotten into her head while she was asleep, when her defences were down. _And it had been Snape's voice…_ she knew it had been.

The twins stared at the doe, gazing for a long time, before she suddenly turned and walked away.

"No," Harry said, and his voice was cracked with lack of use. "Come back!"

She continued to step deliberately through the trees, and soon her brightness was striped by their thick black trunks.

Harry looked at Alicia who watched him.

"She wants us to follow."

"It could be a trap?" Harry whispered back

"Someone knows we're here, if that's the case, they could storm us whenever. Why send something harmless like a Patronus?" Alicia whispered.

Harry looked after the diminishing light as she moved further and further away.

"Stay here." he whispered to his sister who gapped

"And let you walk out into the woods alone?" she demanded quietly

"Trust me." She stared at him, pursing her lips. "If you're right, you need to protect Hermione." Alicia glanced back at the girl sleeping in her bunk and then she nodded her head.

Instantly Harry set off in pursuit, the snow crunching below his feet and soon, Alicia could no longer see him. She ran for Hermione's beaded bag and pulled out the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.

"Professor Black!"

"It's a bit late don't you think Miss Potter?" he walked into the portrait.

"I need to ask a really quick question if it's alright?"

"Well I suppose so…" he mumbled watching her,

"Did you hear we're in the Forest of Dean?" she asked

"I may have."

"Then please tell me Professor Snape's the one outside and I haven't sent Harry to his doom!" she said with a worried expression on her face. Phineas watched her for a moment.

"I did indeed hear you location, I was waiting as you instructed believing early mornings was the best chance," Alicia nodded expectantly. "And Professor Snape did take the sword as requested by Dumbledore's portrait." Alicia nodded again, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you Professor." he nodded and walked curtly past the edge of the frame so Alicia could put the portrait back and return the bag to where it'd been.

Alicia returned to the mouth of the tent silently, her wand in her hand, and looking out into the darkness. The light of the doe was gone and so was Harry and Alicia held her breath hopefully.

Professor Snape was out there, handing over the sword… no, he couldn't let Harry see him, he would never be greeted with happiness by Harry, Snape would not be able to just hand it to Harry. And if it was left lying around, would it be obvious someone had left it there? So what was Snape's plan to make sure Harry saw it and collected it, without it being obvious a person had given it?

Alicia wondered if maybe it had been better she went and collected it. If Phineas had relayed everything Alicia had told him, Snape would know she knew he had the sword and that he could be trusted, she was likely the only person in the world who Snape could walk up to and present help of killing Voldemort with.

Another puzzling question came to her mind, Dumbledore had told her that he hadn't told Snape about the horcruxes, so did Snape know why he was giving them the sword? Or was he just doing so because Dumbledore had said so?

Harry still had not returned and Alicia wondered how far they had walked, or had Snape given Harry some secret task to possess the sword? If it was to be natural, then the sword would have to be presented to a Gryffindor, a true Gryffindor, one who was daring, had nerve and chivalry. Snape was going to make him take a risk then? Gosh she hoped he'd look after him if something went wrong.

Alicia hadn't noticed she'd started to pace the front of the tent, waiting for a feeling or a thought, something. Her mind was reeling too much with information Harry couldn't know, she didn't want to plunge into his mind incase he got a look at her thoughts.

Alicia rubbed her arms as the cold bit at her and she continued to glance at the trees, waiting for Harry. It wasn't until a few moments later that Alicia realised she was shivering so bad her teeth began to chatter and she looked down at herself confused. Her arms and fingers were trembling and her teeth banging together echoed through the surrounding forest. She didn't understand, she didn't feel cold, and with her necklace from Hagrid, it was impossible for her to feel such. So why was she shivering?

The answer came as soon as the question had. Harry was where it came from. But he'd been fine a moment ago?

And then her lungs were freezing and her body complained in protest as though she was being frozen inwards. What was Harry doing? She moved inside and grabbed a blanket, going back to the tent mouth before a pain appeared around her neck and she gasped as though her breathing had been cut off. She reached at it but there was nothing around her neck.

Suffocation was pouring all over her. She was suffocating. She was drowning.

Alicia didn't even notice as she was running off through the trees after the doe that seemed long gone. She heard gasping and footsteps and then a giant splash before she arrived to see a small pool, in which the glint of a wand was bright and alight beside a large pile of clothes. Something was coming out of the pool of water and Alicia instantly ran forwards to help the two figures out. One was Harry, his hair was plastered his his skull and face and his body was a dangerous blue colour as he wore nothing but his underwear. The other person jumped back into the pond, unnoticed by Alicia. As Harry was released from the pool she felt the tightness of Harry's suffocation leave her as she dropped beside him and instantly wrapped him in the blanket she was still holding.

Alicia turned as panting and coughing came beside them the person staggering around, he'd returned from the bottom of the pool again. She noticed him instantly, dripping wet, and with the sword of Gryffindor in one hand and the Horcrux Harry had had on the other, the chain broken. Alicia understood now. The Sword had been at the bottom of the pool, it needed a daring move to be collected. Harry had almost suffocated because the horcrux had tightened around his neck, perhaps running from the sword that could kill it. Why Harry had jumped in with the locket Alicia didn't know but she got to her feet and as Ron watched her, she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. Ron stood still for a moment before she felt one hand on her back, the length of the sword tapping her leg slightly.

"Took you long enough to get back." she whispered and then pulled back and looked at him, grinning slightly and he looked at her surprised.

Alicia looked down at the horcrux in Ron's other hand.

"Did he jump in with that?" she asked and Ron nodded. Both turned to Harry. "He…?" she mumbled. Even the pouch Hagrid had given Harry sat with his heap of clothes, he'd taken off everything but the Horcrux…

Ron spoke before Alicia could say anything.

"Are — you — _mental_?"

Harry stopped and suddenly, shivering violently despite the blanket, he began to stagger to his feet. He looked from Alicia and then to Ron beside her.

"Why the _hell,_ " panted Ron, holding up the Horcrux, which swung backward and forward on its shortened chain in some parody of hypnosis, "didn't you take this thing off before you dived?"

"You took off absolutely everything else, except the horcrux?" Alicia asked "You could've killed us."

"Us?" Ron said

"Well… I dunno if I'd have died but I was definitely suffering the feeling of drowning." she mumbled back as Ron rose an eyebrow.

Harry ignored the two as he began to redress and Alicia looked around the trees, trying to see if their old potions master was anywhere around, wanting to at least give him a motion of thanks behind the two boys for the sword… after all, Harry almost drowning was his own stupidity.

"It was y-you?" Harry said at last, his teeth chattering, his voice weaker than usual due to his near-strangulation.

"Well, yeah," said Ron, looking slightly confused. He looked at Alicia but she was still looking around trying to find the hook-nosed professor.

"Y-you cast that doe?"

"What? No, of course not! I thought it was you doing it!"

"My Patronus is a stag."

"Oh yeah. I thought it looked different. No antlers."

Harry put Hagrid's pouch back around his neck, pulled on a final sweater, stooped to pick up Hermione's wand, and faced Ron again.

"Alicia I thought I told you to stay by the tent?" Alicia turned to Harry looking surprised.

"Gosh you sound like Ron telling Ginny to do something." she admitted "You were drowning and you expected me to sit and do nothing?" Harry turned from her and to Ron, not bothering to answer.

"How come you're here?"

"Well, I've — you know — I've come back. If —" He cleared his throat. "You know. You still want me."

Alicia watched Ron before she rose an eyebrow. "You haven't by any chance, been following us for the last… day or so? On a hillside covered in snow?"

"Y-Yeah." Ron said surprised.

"I knew it!" Alicia smirked triumphantly. Harry was staring at Ron still who turned and looked down at his hands. He seemed momentarily surprised to see the things he was holding.

"Oh yeah, I got it out," he said, rather unnecessarily, holding up the sword for the twins' inspection. "That's why you jumped in, right?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "But I don't understand. How did you get here? How did you find us?" Alicia looked at Ron too.

"Long story," said Ron. "I've been looking for you for hours, it's a big forest, isn't it? And I was just thinking I'd have to kip under a tree and wait for morning when I saw that deer coming and you following."

"You didn't see anyone else?"

"No," said Ron. "I —"

But he hesitated, glancing at two trees growing close together some yards away.

"I did think I saw something move over there, but I was running to the pool at the time, because you'd gone in and you hadn't come up, so I wasn't going to make a detour to — hey!"

Harry was already hurrying to the place Ron had indicated. He looked between the two oaks were there was only a tiny gap between the trees. Harry returned towards the two who were watching him.

"Anything there?" Ron asked.

"No," said Harry.

"So how did the sword get in that pool?"

"Whoever cast the Patronus must have put it there."

They both looked at the ornate silver sword, its rubied hilt glinting a little in the light from Hermione's wand. Alicia glanced at the hiding place slightly disappointed.

"You reckon this is the real one?" asked Ron.

"One way to find out, isn't there?" said Harry.

The Horcrux was still swinging from Ron's hand. The locket was twitching slightly. Alicia watched it and then looked at Harry. He met her gaze and she knew they were thinking the same. Harry looked around, Hermione's wand high.

"Come here," he said, and he led the way, brushed snow from the rock's surface, and held out his hand. When Ron offered the sword, however, Harry shook his head.

"No, you should do it."

"Me?" said Ron, looking shocked. "Why?"

"Because you got the sword out of the pool. I think it's supposed to be you."

Ron looked at Alicia who shrugged. Harry didn't let either them contradict him.

"I'm going to open it," said Harry, "and you stab it. Straightaway, okay? Because whatever's in there will put up a fight. The bit of Riddle in the diary tried to kill me."

"How are you going to open it?" asked Ron. He looked terrified.

"I'm going to ask it to open, using Parseltongue," said Harry. Alicia looked at him surprised. That option had never come to her, why hadn't she thought that parseltongue would be a great way to open Slytherin's locket with the heir of Slytherin's soul inside?

Harry looked at the locket to speak the hissing language but Ron interrupted.

"No!" said Ron. "No, don't open it! I'm serious!"

"Why not?" asked Harry. "Let's get rid of the damn thing, it's been months —"

"I can't, Harry, I'm serious — you do it —"

"But why?"

"Because that thing's bad for me!" said Ron, backing away from the locket on the rock. "I can't handle it! I'm not making excuses, Harry, for what I was like, but it affects me worse than it affected you, Alicia and Hermione, it made me think stuff — stuff I was thinking anyway, but it made everything worse, I can't explain it, and then I'd take it off and I'd get my head on straight again, and then I'd have to put the effing thing back on — I can't do it, Harry!"

He had backed away, the sword dragging at his side, shaking his head. Alicia moved and put a comforting, reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You can do it," said Harry, "you can! You've just got the sword, I know it's supposed to be you who uses it. Please, just get rid of it, Ron." Both boys looked at Alicia before she began to nod.

"That thing affects you the worse Ron, it's caused you the worst issue, I think you have the right to give it some payback." she said looking at him. "You got the sword out. If not for you, we may have lost it, Harry and the horcrux." she said. Ron looked hopelessly as the twins ganged up on him.

Ron swallowed, then, still breathing hard through his long nose, moved back toward the rock. Alicia stayed where she was behind him.

"Tell me when," he croaked.

"On three," said Harry, looking back down at the locket and narrowing his eyes

"One… two… three… _open._ "

The last word came as a hiss and a snarl and the golden doors of the locket swung wide with a little click.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

Inside, behind both of the glass windows, blinked a living eye, dark and handsome as Tom Riddle's eyes had been before he turned them scarlet and slit-pupiled.

"Stab," said Harry, holding the locket steady on the rock.

Ron raised the sword in his shaking hands: The point dangled over the frantically swivelling eyes. A voice hissed from out of the Horcrux.

" _I have seen your heart, and it is mine._ _"_

"Don't listen to it!" Harry said harshly. "Stab it!"

" _I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible…_ "

"Stab!" shouted Harry; his voice echoed off the surrounding trees, the sword point trembled, and Ron gazed down into Riddle's eyes. Alicia stared at it surprised.

" _Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter… Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers your friend… Second best, always, eternally overshadowed…_ "

"Ron, stab it now!" Harry bellowed. Ron raised the sword still higher, and as he did so, Riddle's eyes gleamed scarlet.

Out of the locket's two windows, out of the eyes, there bloomed, like two grotesque bubbles, the heads of Harry and Hermione, weirdly distorted.

Ron yelled in shock and backed away, stumbling into Alicia who grabbed his arm as she stared at them shocked. The figures blossomed out of the locket, first chests, then waists, then legs, until they stood in the locket, side by side like trees with a common root, swaying over Ron, Alicia and the real Harry, who had snatched his fingers way from the locket.

"Ron!" he shouted, but the Riddle-Harry was now speaking with Voldemort's voice and Ron was gazing, mesmerised, into its face.

" _Why return? We were better without you, happier without you, glad of your absence… We laughed at your stupidity, your cowardice, your presumption —_ "

" _Presumption_!" echoed the Riddle-Hermione, who was more beautiful and yet more terrible than the real Hermione: She swayed, cackling, before Ron, who looked horrified yet transfixed, the sword hanging pointlessly at his side. " _Who could look at you, who would ever look at you, beside Harry Potter? What have you ever done, compared with the Chosen One? What are you, compared with the Boy Who Lived_?"

"Ron, stab it, STAB IT!" Harry yelled, but Ron did not move: His eyes were wide, and the Riddle-Harry and the Riddle-Hermione were reflected in them, their hair swirling like flames, their eyes shining red, their voices lifted in an evil duet.

"It's trying to save itself Ron." Alicia whispered from beside him. "It's lying to you, it's playing on your insecurities. Remember how upset Hermione was when you went out with Lavender. She never acted that way when Harry was with Cho, or Ginny. She never got jealous of Harry. She only cares about you." she was talking into her ear, trying to ignore the horcruxes attempts to survive.

" _Your mother confessed_ ," sneered Riddle-Harry, while Riddle-Hermione jeered, " _that she would have preferred me as a son, would be glad to exchange …_ "

"She didn't say that! She said she'd gladly take us in, not replace!" Alicia said quickly.

" _Who wouldn_ _'_ _t prefer him, what woman would take you, you are nothing, nothing, nothing to him,_ " crooned Riddle-Hermione, and she stretched like a snake and entwined herself around Riddle- Harry, wrapping him in a close embrace: Their lips met.

On the ground in front of them, Ron's face filled with anguish. He raised the sword high, his arms shaking as Alicia released him and took a step back.

"Do it, Ron!" Harry yelled.

Ron looked toward him.

"Ron — ?"

The sword flashed, plunged: Harry threw himself out of the way, there was a clang of metal and a long, drawn-out scream as Alicia watched the sword make contact with the two faces of the locket. The versions of Harry and Hermione had let out the scream and vanished into nothing as Ron held the sword slackly now, staring at the locket before him. Harry had whirled around, slipping in the snow, wand held ready to defend himself: but there was nothing to fight.

Ron's blue eyes were wet as he stared down at the locket and was breathing heavily. Harry stood and approached the horcrux, looking at the pierced glass winders, Riddle's eyes no longer there, and the stained silk lining of the locket was smoking slightly.

The sword clanged as Ron dropped it. He had sunk to his knees, his head in his arms. He was shaking, but not from cold. Alicia moved forwards and, sitting beside him she placed her arms around him and he leaned on her slightly. Harry crammed the broken locket into his pocket and knelt down beside Ron on his other side. He placed a hand cautiously on his shoulder and Ron did not throw it off.

"After you left," he said in a low voice, "she cried for a week."

"She cried for longer than that. She'd cry herself to sleep." Alicia whispered "We hardly spoke without you around." And Harry nodded

"She didn't want me to see. There were loads of nights when we never even spoke to each other. With you gone…"

"There was an unfillable void." Alicia finished "You really hold us together Ron." she said

"She's like my sister," he went on. "I love her like a sister and I reckon she feels the same way about me. It's always been like that. I thought you knew."

Ron did not respond, but turned his face away from Harry, Alicia releasing him as he wiped his nose noisily on his sleeve.

Harry got to his feet again and walked to where Ron's enormous rucksack lay yards away, discarded as Ron had run toward the pool to save Harry from drowning. He hoisted it onto his own back and walked back to Ron. Alicia got to her feet and offered Ron her hands in which he took to be hoisted to his feet.

"You wanted to come back right?" she said and Ron nodded as he composed himself, his eyes still slightly bloodshot. "Well we'd better not sit out here in the cold then." she smiled as Harry approached.

"I'm sorry," Ron said in a thick voice. "I'm sorry I left. I know I was a — a —"

He looked around at the darkness, as if hoping a bad enough word would swoop down upon him and claim him.

"You've sort of made up for it tonight," said Harry. "Getting the sword. Finishing off the Horcrux. Saving my life."

"That makes me sound a lot cooler than I was," Ron mumbled.

"Stuff like that always sounds cooler than it really was," said Harry. "I've been trying to tell you that for years."

Simultaneously they walked forward and hugged, Harry gripping the still-sopping back of Ron's jacket.

"And now," said Harry as they broke apart, "all we've got to do is find the tent again."

"Oh Ron, let me dry you off first." Alicia said as she raised her wand and he looked at her. In an instant his clothes were dry again. "Last thing we need is you getting a cold." she said as she picked the blanket up off the floor from where Harry had left it.

"I'm sorry Alicia," she looked at Ron. "For what I said about you not caring." Alicia nodded.

"I get you were worried, especially as you've hardly been away from your family like this before." she said "Still shouldn't have said it." Ron smirked ever so slightly. "Truth is I always expected you to come back." she said. The two boys looked surprised and she nodded before turning.

"How?" Ron said

"Well I didn't know if you'd ever find us, but I knew you'd want to."

"Why?" Harry said

"It's how Ron is. He makes a mistake, there's no speaking for a few weeks to months and then we all make up. Having been the only one not to have a silent treatment with Ron, I noticed this. It's how it was in our fourth year and our sixth and all the times Hermione and Ron got on each other's nerves."

"You knew I'd come back?" Ron asked

"I knew you'd wanted to." She said again "But the prospect of you finding us was nothing."

They were silent as they walked through the dark forest. Finding the tent was not as difficult asHarry had thought. Ron lagging slightly behind as Harry quickened his pace, being the first to enter the tent. The tent was warm and the bluebell flames were still shimmering in a bowl on the floor as Alicia entered before Ron. Hermione was fast asleep, curled up under her blankets, and did not move until Harry had said her name several times.

" _Hermione_! "

She stirred, then sat up quickly, pushing her hair out of her face. "What's wrong? Harry? Are you all right?" she looked at Alicia.

"We have a bit of a surprise." Alicia admitted.

"It's okay, everything's fine. More than fine. I'm great. There's someone here."

"What do you mean? Who — ?"

She saw Ron, who stood there holding the sword. Harry backed into a shadowy corner, dragging Alicia with her as he slipped off Ron's rucksack, and attempted to blend in with the canvas.

Hermione slid out of her bunk and moved like a sleepwalker toward Ron, her eyes upon his pale face. She stopped right in front of him, her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide. Ron gave a weak, hopeful smile and half raised his arms.

"Ten bucks she attacks him." Alicia whispered.

Hermione launched herself forward and started punching every inch of him that she could reach.

"Ouch — ow — gerroff! What the — ? Hermione — OW!"

"You — complete — _arse_ — Ronald — Weasley!"

She punctuated every word with a blow: Ron backed away, shielding his head as Hermione advanced.

"Called it."

"You call everything." Harry grumbled

"I just know things." she shrugged back

"You — crawl — back — here — after — weeks — and — weeks — oh, _where_ _'_ _s my wand_?"

She looked as though ready to wrestle it out of Harry's hands, Alicia looked surprised and almost turned to run away as Harry reacted instinctively.

" _Protego_!"

The invisible shield erupted between Ron and Hermione: The force of it knocked her backward onto the floor. Spitting hair out of her mouth, she leapt up again.

"Hermione!" said Harry. "Calm —"

"I will not calm down!" she screamed. Never before had she lost control like this; she looked quite demented. "Give me back my wand! _Give it back to me_!"

"Hermione, will you please —"

"Don't you tell me what to do, Harry Potter!" she screeched. "Don't you dare! Give it back now! And YOU!"

"Alicia do something!" Harry demanded as Hermione was pointing at Ron in dire accusation: It was like a malediction, and Ron retreated several steps.

"No, she needs to get some of this off her chest, and it'll make Ron realise how his actions hurt her, which leads to how much she cares for him." Alicia whispered to Harry.

"I came running after you! I called you! I begged you to come back!"

"I know," Ron said, "Hermione, I'm sorry, I'm really —"

"Oh, you're _sorry_!"

She laughed, a high-pitched, out-of-control sound; Ron looked at Harry for help, but Harry merely grimaced his helplessness and Alicia crossed her arms and nodded to Hermione.

"You come back after weeks — _weeks_ — and you think it's all going to be all right if you just say _sorry_?"

"Well, what else can I say?" Ron shouted.

"Oh, I don't know!" yelled Hermione with awful sarcasm. "Rack your brains, Ron, that should only take a couple of seconds —"

"Hermione," interjected Harry and Alicia, who considered this a low blow.

"He just saved my —" Harry began

"I don't care!" she screamed. "I don't care what he's done! Weeks and weeks, we could have been _dead_ for all he knew —"

"I knew you weren't dead!" bellowed Ron, drowning her voice for the first time, and approaching as close as he could with the Shield Charm between them. "Harry's all over the _Prophet,_ all over the radio, they're looking for you everywhere, all these rumours and mental stories, I knew I'd hear straight off if you were dead, you don't know what it's been like —"

"What it's been like for _you_?"

Her voice was now so shrill only bats would be able to hear it soon, but she had reached a level of indignation that rendered her temporarily speechless, and Ron seized his opportunity.

"I wanted to come back the minute I'd Disapparated, but I walked straight into a gang of Snatchers, Hermione, and I couldn't go anywhere!"

"A gang of what?" asked Harry, as Hermione threw herself down into a chair with her arms and legs crossed so tightly it seemed unlikely that she would unravel them for several years.

"Snatchers," said Ron. "They're everywhere — gangs trying to earn gold by rounding up Muggle-borns and blood traitors, there's a reward from the Ministry for everyone captured. I was on my own and I look like I might be school age; they got really excited, thought I was a Muggle-born in hiding. I had to talk fast to get out of being dragged to the Ministry."

"What did you say to them?"

"Told them I was Stan Shunpike. First person I could think of."

"And they believed that?"

"They weren't the brightest. One of them was definitely part troll, the smell off him…"

Ron glanced at Hermione, clearly hopeful she might soften at this small instance of humour, but her expression remained stony above her tightly knotted limbs.

"Anyway, they had a row about whether I was Stan or not. It was a bit pathetic to be honest, but there were still five of them and only one of me and they'd taken my wand. Then two of them got into a fight and while the others were distracted I managed to hit the one holding me in the stomach, grabbed his wand, Disarmed the bloke holding mine, and Disapparated. I didn't do it so well, Splinched myself again" — Ron held up his right hand to show two missing fingernails; Hermione raised her eyebrows coldly — "and I came out miles from where you were. By the time I got back to that bit of riverbank where we'd been… you'd gone."

"Gosh, what a gripping story," Hermione said in the lofty voice she adopted when wishing to wound. "You must have been simply terrified. Meanwhile we went to Godric's Hollow and, let's think, what happened there? Oh yes, You-Know-Who's snake turned up, it nearly killed all of us, and then You-Know-Who himself arrived and missed us by about a second."

"What?" Ron said, gaping from her to Harry and Alicia, but Hermione ignored him.

"Imagine losing fingernails, Harry! That really puts our sufferings into perspective, doesn't it, Alicia, doesn't compare to you getting stabbed does it?"

Alicia sighed.

"Hermione," said Harry quietly, "Ron just saved my life."

She appeared not to have heard him.

"One thing I would like to know, though," she said, fixing her eyes on a spot a foot over Ron's head. "How exactly did you find us tonight? That's important. Once we know, we'll be able to make sure we're not visited by anyone else we don't want to see."

Ron glared at her, then pulled a small silver object from his jeans pocket.

"This."

She had to look at Ron to see what he was showing them.

"The Deluminator?" she asked, so surprised she forgot to look cold and fierce.

"It doesn't just turn the lights on and off," said Ron. "I don't know how it works or why it happened then and not any other time, because I've been wanting to come back ever since I left. But I was listening to the radio really early on Christmas morning and I heard… I heard you."

He was looking at Hermione.

"You heard me on the radio?" she asked incredulously.

"No, I heard you coming out of my pocket. Your voice," he held up the Deluminator again, "came out of this."

"And what exactly did I say?" asked Hermione, her tone somewhere between skepticism and curiosity.

"My name. 'Ron.' And you said… something about a wand…"

Hermione turned a fiery shade of scarlet.

"Well I guess it makes sense. We never said your name allowed till then." Alicia said and Ron looked at her.

"You didn't…"

"We sort of reached a silent agreement not to utter your name." she said glancing at Hermione.

"So… your name came from the deluminator? How?" she asked

"I dunno. But I took it out," Ron went on, looking at the Deluminator, "and it didn't seem different or anything, but I was sure I'd heard you. So I clicked it. And the light went out in my room, but another light appeared right outside the window."

Ron raised his empty hand and pointed in front of him, his eyes focused on something neither Harry nor Hermione could see.

"It was a ball of light, kind of pulsing, and bluish, like that light you get around a Portkey, you know?"

"Yeah," said Harry and Hermione together automatically. Alicia glanced at them listening.

"I knew this was it," said Ron. "I grabbed my stuff and packed it, then I put on my rucksack and went out into the garden.

"The little ball of light was hovering there, waiting for me, and when I came out it bobbed along a bit and I followed it behind the shed and then it… well, it went inside me."

"Sorry?" said Harry, sure he had not heard correctly. Alicia however snorted slightly.

"It sort of floated toward me," said Ron, illustrating the movement with his free index finger, "right to my chest, and then — it just went straight through. It was here," he touched a point close to his heart, "I could feel it, it was hot. And once it was inside me I knew what I was supposed to do, I knew it would take me where I needed to go. So I Disapparated and came out on the side of a hill. There was snow everywhere…"

"We were there," said Harry. "We spent two nights there, and the second night I kept thinking I could hear someone moving around in the dark and calling out!"

"Me too." Alicia said "And I had a small feeling it might've been Ron." Hermione looked at her "I didn't want to say anything incase I was wrong… didn't need the aftermath that'd come from that. But you woke us all up and we left in the night in worry." she said to Ron. "We were worried someone was out there."

"Yeah, well, that would've been me," said Ron. "Your protective spells work, anyway, because I couldn't see you and I couldn't hear you. I was sure you were around, though, so in the end I got in my sleeping bag and waited for one of you to appear. I thought you'd have to show yourselves when you packed up the tent."

"No, actually," said Hermione. "We've been Disapparating under the Invisibility Cloak as an extra precaution. And we left really early, because, as Harry says, we'd heard somebody blundering around."

"Well, I stayed on that hill all day," said Ron. "I kept hoping you'd appear. But when it started to get dark I knew I must have missed you, so I clicked the Deluminator again, the blue light came out and went inside me, and I Disapparated and arrived here in these woods. I still couldn't see you, so I just had to hope one of you would show yourselves in the end — and Harry did. Well, I saw the doe first, obviously."

"You saw the what?" said Hermione sharply.

They explained what had happened, and as the story of the silver doe and the sword in the pool unfolded, Hermione frowned from one to the other of them, concentrating so hard she forgot to keep her limbs locked together.

"But it must have been a Patronus!" she said. "Couldn't you see who was casting it? Didn't you see anyone? And it led you to the sword! I can't believe this! Then what happened?"

Ron explained how he had watched Harry jump into the pool and had waited for him to resurface; how he had realised that something was wrong, dived in, and saved Harry, then returned for the sword. Alicia explained how she'd felt Harry suffocating and drowning and had run to see Ron pulling Harry out.

Ron stopped, not taking back over as they reached the part of opening the locket, and Harry cut in. "— and Ron stabbed it with the sword."

"And… and it went? Just like that?" she whispered.

"Well, it — it screamed," said Harry with half a glance at Ron. "Here."

He threw the locket into her lap; gingerly she picked it up and examined its punctured windows.

Deciding that it was at last safe to do so, Harry removed the Shield Charm with a wave of Hermione's wand and turned to Ron.

"Did you just say you got away from the Snatchers with a spare wand?"

"What?" said Ron, who had been watching Hermione examining the locket. "Oh — oh yeah."

He tugged open a buckle on his rucksack and pulled a short, dark wand out of its pocket. "Here. I figured it's always handy to have a backup."

"You were right," said Harry, holding out his hand. "Mine's broken."

"You're kidding?" Ron said, but at that moment Hermione got to her feet, and he looked apprehensive again.

Hermione put the vanquished Horcrux into the beaded bag, then climbed back into her bed and settled down without another word.

Ron passed Harry the new wand.

"About the best you could hope for, I think," murmured Harry.

"Yeah," said Ron. "Could've been worse. Remember those birds she set on me?"

"I still haven't ruled it out," came Hermione's muffled voice from beneath her blankets, but Harry saw Ron smiling slightly as he pulled his maroon pyjamas out of his rucksack.

Alicia yawned and smiled.

"I think we could all do with some sleep." she said and the two boys nodded.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

Hermione's anger had not changed the following morning but neither Harry nor Alicia expected it to. She continued to communicate mainly by dirty looks and pointed silences. Ron responded by maintaining an unnaturally somber demeanour in her presence as an outward sign of continuing remorse. Alicia grew rather annoyed by it as it brought everything down and made it seem very somber.

 _I feel like I'm the only non-mourner at a funeral._ Harry said at breakfast, glancing at her.

 _Who am I then?_

 _You don't seem much different?_ he rose an eyebrow and Alicia looked annoyed.

 _Well, I'm annoyed by the atmosphere they're creating._ she sighed _Give it a bit and I'm sure they'll be fine though._

 _Yeah? When?_ she shrugged

 _Dunno, girls are great at grudges._ she said simply.

 _Ron's fine when Hermione's not around._

 _Of course he is, he's trying to show that he's remorseful for running out on her so she forgives him. No need when she's not near._

Alicia had noticed Ron being much more cheerful away from Hermione even when she wasn't with them. He was awfully cheery about the fact that they'd had help from someone, of which Alicia was the only one to know the identity of.

 _Couldn't tell them even if I wanted to, they'd never believe me._ she sighed.

With the Locket now destroyed they set to debating the possible locations of the other Horcruxes, and even though they had discussed the matter so often before, it seemed with the locket gone, there was more optimism in the idea of breakthroughs that would succeed their first attempts. Hermione had her doubts, but Harry, after the doe, the swords' appearance and Ron's return, was so happy he couldn't seem to stop smiling.

Alicia chose mostly to join the boys in order to hear Ron's news of what had happened while he was away. She and Harry had told them everything they'd been up to, up to Godric's Hollow and Ron told them his news in exchange.

"… and how did you find out about the Taboo?" he asked Harry after explaining the many desperate attempts of Muggle-borns to evade the Ministry.

"The what?"

"You two and Hermione have stopped saying You-Know-Who's name!"

"Oh, yeah. Well, it's just a bad habit we've slipped into," said Harry. "But I haven't got a problem calling him V —"

"NO!" roared Ron, causing Harry to jump into a hedge, Alicia to flinch in alarm and Hermione (nose buried in a book at the tent entrance) to scowl over at them. "Sorry," said Ron, wrenching Harry back out of the brambles, "but the name's been jinxed, Alicia was right," he looked at her and she rose an eyebrow "You wondered what word they jinxed well they jinxed his name." Ron looked back at Harry as Alicia looked surprised. She'd forgotten all about that guess.

"I also guessed it could have been his name too…" she realised in surprise, her pride yet to emerge. "I never really considered it though."

"Harry, that's how they track people! Using his name breaks protective enchantments, it causes some kind of magical disturbance — it's how they found us in Tottenham Court Road!"

"Because we used his _name_?"

"Exactly! You've got to give them credit, it makes sense. It was only people who were serious about standing up to him, like Dumbledore, who ever dared use it. Now they've put a Taboo on it, anyone who says it is trackable — quick-and-easy way to find Order members! They nearly got Kingsley —"

"You're kidding?"

"Yeah, a bunch of Death Eaters cornered him, Bill said, but he fought his way out. He's on the run now, just like us." Ron scratched his chin thoughtfully with the end of his wand.

"That is rather smart." Alicia nodded "Of all the words… and it's so obvious too." she mumbled.

"You don't reckon Kingsley could have sent that doe?" Ron said.

"His Patronus is a lynx, we saw it at the wedding, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

They moved farther along the hedge, away from the tent and Hermione.

"Harry… you don't reckon it could've been Dumbledore?" Alicia looked at Ron surprised.

"Dumbledore what?"

Ron looked a little embarrassed, but said in a low voice, "Dumbledore… the doe? I mean," Ron was watching Harry out of the corners of his eyes, "he had the real sword last, didn't he?"

Alicia stared wide-eyed at him while Harry glanced away slightly. He ended in shaking his head.

"Dumbledore's dead," he said. "I saw it happen, I saw the body. He's definitely gone."

"Plus there's no magic that can reverse death." Alicia said "And he definitely had no heartbeat." she added in a whisper. Harry nodded.

"Anyway, his Patronus was a phoenix, not a doe."

"Patronuses can change, though, can't they?" said Ron. "Tonks's changed, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but if Dumbledore was alive, why wouldn't he show himself? Why wouldn't he just hand us the sword?"

"Search me," said Ron. "Same reason he didn't give it to you while he was alive? Same reason he left you an old Snitch and Hermione a book of kids' stories?"

"Which is what?" asked Harry, turning to look Ron full in the face, desperate for the answer.

"I dunno," said Ron. "Sometimes I've thought, when I've been a bit hacked off, he was having a laugh or — or he just wanted to make it more difficult. But I don't think so, not anymore. He knew what he was doing when he gave me the Deluminator, didn't he? He — well," Ron's ears turned bright red and he became engrossed in a tuft of grass at his feet, which he prodded with his toe, "he must've known I'd run out on you."

"No," Harry corrected him. "He must've known you'd always want to come back." Ron looked grateful but still slightly awkward.

"Well given our friendship track record…" Alicia mumbled and the two boys chuckled.

"Speaking of Dumbledore, have you heard what Skeeter wrote about him?" Harry said, changing the subject.

"Oh yeah," said Ron at once, "people are talking about it quite a lot. 'Course, if things were different, it'd be huge news, Dumbledore being pals with Grindelwald, but now it's just something to laugh about for people who didn't like Dumbledore, and a bit of a slap in the face for everyone who thought he was such a good bloke. I don't know that it's such a big deal, though. He was really young when they —"

"Our age," said Harry, just as he had retorted to Hermione, and something in his face seemed to decide Ron against pursuing the subject. He looked at Alicia who rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"He's mostly just angry Dumbledore never told him half these things." she whispered to Ron. Harry however took out the wand Ron had given him, determined by Hermione to be made of blackthorn, and pointed it at a large spider.

"Engorgio."

The spider gave a little shiver, bouncing slightly in the web. Harry tried again. This time the spider grew slightly larger.

"Stop that," said Ron sharply. "I'm sorry I said Dumbledore was young, okay?"

Ron looked slightly pale, as his hatred of spiders rose.

"Sorry — _Reducio._ "

The spider did not shrink. Harry had had trouble with all the spells he'd tried. Alicia wasn't surprised, the blackthorn wand had been stolen, and not won. Worse it had been stolen by Ron, the wands allegiance was not to Harry, and so it did not obey him as well as the phoenix wand.

"You just need to practice," said Hermione, who had approached them noiselessly from behind and had stood watching anxiously as Harry tried to enlarge and reduce the spider. "It's all a matter of confidence, Harry."

"Hermione, I appreciate you still feel guilty for Harry's lost wand, but wands do have a sort of mind of their own. Harry didn't win the blackthorn wand, you might find practice is not quite enough." Alicia said and Hermione looked at her annoyed. She shrugged. "You can't argue with the logic of wands in which we all know. The wand chooses the wizard." she said.

"She might be right." Harry said and Alicia knew he said it only so Ron and Hermione may be friends again.

"She might." Alicia nodded.

Harry's plan didn't seem to work, for when Ron gave Hermione a tentative smile, she stalked off and vanished behind her book once more.

Ron sighed.

"She'll come around eventually."

"When?"

"Probably after we get into some sort of trouble." she said thinking. "Always seems the way, it's what happened last year after you were poisoned."

All of them returned to the tent when darkness fell, and Harry took first watch. Alicia sat in one of the chairs, a book in her hand, Hermione was lying on her bunk reading, while Ron, after many nervous glances up at her, had taken a small wooden wireless out of his rucksack and started to try and tune it.

"There's this one program," he said in a low voice, Alicia glancing at him fleetingly. "that tells the news like it really is. All the others are on You-Know-Who's side and are following the Ministry line, but this one… you wait till you hear it, it's great. Only they can't do it every night, they have to keep changing locations in case they're raided, and you need a password to tune in… Trouble is, I missed the last one…"

He drummed lightly on the top of the radio with his wand, muttering random words under his breath. He threw Hermione many covert glances, plainly fearing an angry outburst, but for all the notice she took of him he might not have been there. For ten minutes or so Ron tapped and muttered, Hermione turned the pages of her book, and Harry continued to practice with the blackthorn wand. Alicia watched Ron curiously.

"You could try asking the twins?" she offered

"They even answering?"

"Haven't really tried since you left." she said thinking "I was too pissed with Fred." she added as an after thought. Glancing at the table, not even her pensive sat upon it as it had over the last few months, let alone the mirror she'd left in her bag.

None moved as Hermione finally did, climbing down from her bunk. Ron ceased his tapping at once.

"If it's annoying you, I'll stop!" he told Hermione nervously. Hermione did not deign to respond, but approached Harry.

"We need to talk," she said and she looked at Alicia who rose an eyebrow.

Harry looked at the book still clutched in her hand. It was _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_.

"What?" he said apprehensively.

"I want to go and see Xenophilius Lovegood."

"WHAT?!" Alicia demanded, sitting up so fast she fell off her chair with a cry and a thump.

Harry stared at her.

"Sorry?"

"Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna's father. I want to go and talk to him!"

"Er — why?"

She took a deep breath, as though bracing herself, and said, "It's that mark, the mark in _Beedle the Bard._ " Alicia looked up over the back of the chair before getting to her feet."Look at this!"

Hermione thrust _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ under Harry's unwilling eyes as Alicia moved around towards them. She was on the page of the letter from Dumbledore to Grindelwald.

"The signature," said Hermione. "Look at the signature!" she looked at Alicia who took the book from her and away from Harry. Alicia peered down at it before she noticed, in the wand light, that Dumbledore had replaced the _A_ of Albus with a tiny version of the same triangular mark inscribed upon _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._

Alicia looked surprised and handed the book to Harry while looking at Hermione. Did Dumbledore and Grindelwald, create the mark? No, Grindelwald had carved it into Dumstrang before he knew Albus. Then was it not a mark at all? They knew it was not a rune though… what was left of an image like that?

 _A Symbol?_

But did that mean it meant anything? Or was it merely nothing? Alicia didn't believe such or Dumbledore wouldn't have written it in Hermione's book.

"Er — what are you — ?" said Ron tentatively, but Hermione quelled him with a look and turned back to Harry, who looked up when he too had noticed the signature.

"It keeps cropping up, doesn't it?" she said. "I know Viktor said it was Grindelwald's mark, but it was definitely on that old grave in Godric's Hollow, and the dates on the headstone were long before Grindelwald came along! And now this! Well, we can't ask Dumbledore or Grindelwald what it means — I don't even know whether Grindelwald's still alive — but we can ask Mr. Lovegood. He was wearing the symbol at the wedding. I'm sure this is important, Harry!"

 _It was on that grave?_ Alicia didn't remember it. But then it must've been a symbol for something, maybe even a coat of arms? Perhaps it represented the family of Pevrell which had been written on the grave with Ignotus.

But was this sign, so important, that they were to expose themselves to a wizard? And after what had happened at Godric's Hollow? It seemed a disaster was willing to strike.

Harry was watching Alicia as she contemplated everything, following her train of thought. Hermione realised this as well and looked at her.

"Hermione, we don't need another Godric's Hollow." Harry agreed with Alicia. "We talked ourselves into going there, and —"

"But it keeps appearing, Harry! Dumbledore left me _The Tales of Beedle the Bard,_ how do you know we're not supposed to find out about the sign?"

"Here we go again!" Harry said exasperatedly. "We keep trying to convince ourselves Dumbledore left us secret signs and clues —"

"The Deluminator turned out to be pretty useful," piped up Ron. "I think Hermione's right, I think we ought to go and see Lovegood."

Alicia sighed slightly annoyed as she turned to Ron while Harry threw him a dark look. Ron was only agreeing with Hermione in order to win her favour back over.

"It won't be like Godric's Hollow," Ron added, "Lovegood's on your side, Harry, _The Quibbler_ _'s_ been for you all along, it keeps telling everyone they've got to help you!"

"And remember what those campers said before you left, "no idea how long they'll let him get away with it", remember? What's to say the Death Eaters haven't done something to Lovegood to turn him against us?" Alicia demanded "It's too risky!" she said to Hermione "You-Know-Who almost got us last time, Harry got bitten by the snake and I got stabbed. We might not be as lucky next time."

"I'm sure this is important!" said Hermione earnestly to her.

"How? You think it'll let us find a Horcrux? How?"

"We wont find out if we don't know what it means." Hermione said

"But don't you think if it was, Dumbledore would have told me about it before he died?"

"Maybe… maybe it's something you need to find out for yourself," said Hermione with a faint air of clutching at straws.

Alicia rolled her eyes. But then, Dumbledore had left so much for them to be found instead of told… or at least, that's how it felt for Alicia. But for Harry, Hermione and Ron, they had been told most things.

 _What if there was something too dangerous for us to be told straight out?_ she thought _But he'd sent us on this quest…_ Alicia couldn't fathom it.

"Yeah," said Ron sycophantically, "that makes sense."

"No, it doesn't," snapped Hermione, "but I still think we ought to talk to Mr. Lovegood. A symbol that links Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Godric's Hollow? Harry, I'm sure we ought to know about this!"

"I don't see how it can help." Alicia said "Maybe if we didn't have the sword or any idea where it may have been that would be different. But it doesn't link to You-Know-Who so…" Alicia put her hands on her hips.

"I think we should vote on it," said Ron. "Those in favour of going to see Lovegood —"

His hand flew into the air before Hermione's. Her lips quivered suspiciously as she raised her own.

"Outvoted, Harry, sorry," said Ron, clapping him on the back.

"It's an even vote!" Alicia snapped but Harry suddenly changed his mind.

"Fine," said Harry, half amused, half irritated. Alicia looked more than annoyed. "Only, once we've seen Lovegood, let's try and look for some more Horcruxes, shall we?"

"You realise you're all gonna owe me huge when this goes sour. Things never seem to go right with us, you know." she snapped.

"Then we'll be on—"

"Oh shut up. Nothing you say can help." Alicia cut her brother off and moved to slump into her chair with irritation. "I swear I'm the only one with their head screwed on." she grumbled and the three rolled their eyes.

"Where do the Lovegoods live, anyway? Do either of you know?" Harry said turning to Hermione and Ron.

"Yeah, they're not far from my place," said Ron. "I dunno exactly where, but Mum and Dad always point toward the hills whenever they mention them. Shouldn't be hard to find."

"Oh yeah, it'll all be so easy. A complete breeze, and for something that doesn't even match our quest too." Alicia complained as Harry and Ron turned to mutter to one another.

 _Well, maybe we can get a good stroke of luck…_ Alicia thought. Then she remembered the Sword of Gryffindor and doubted such as they'd already been given their luck.

She sighed. _Not like we'll get anywhere by always hiding out though._ And she took a deep breath.

 _Lovegood's it is then._


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

They had an excellent view of the village of Ottery St. Catchpole from the breezy hillside to which they Apparated to the next morning. From their high vantage point the village looked like a collection of toy houses in the great slanting shafts of sunlight stretching to earth in the breaks between clouds. They stood for a minute or two looking toward the Burrow, their hands shadowing their eyes, but all they could make out were the high hedges and trees of the orchard, which afforded the crooked little house protection from Muggle eyes.

"It's weird, being this near, but not going to visit," said Ron.

"Well, it's not like you haven't just seen them. You were there for Christmas," said Hermione coldly.

"I wasn't at the Burrow!" said Ron with an incredulous laugh. "Do you think I was going to go back there and tell them all I'd walked out on you? Yeah, Fred and George would've been great about it. And Ginny, she'd have been really understanding."

"But where have you been, then?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"Bill and Fleur's new place. Shell Cottage. Bill's always been decent to me. He — he wasn't impressed when he heard what I'd done, but he didn't go on about it. He knew I was really sorry. None of the rest of the family know I was there. Bill told Mum he and Fleur weren't going home for Christmas because they wanted to spend it alone. You know, first holiday after they were married. I don't think Fleur minded. You know how much she hates Celestina Warbeck."

Alicia was first to turn her back on The Burrow and begin walking and the three looked at her slightly surprised.

"She's still upset Fred hasn't contacted her." Hermione realised.

"Well, you gotta admit, if anyone is in contract with us, they're in danger. Maybe it's best?" Ron shrugged

"For him?"

"Us as well, no one can catch Fred talking to us and find us." Harry said "And I think Alicia understands that, deep down below the fact that she's upset about their separation." he shrugged and the three turned after her.

She was looking out over the hills for some sign of a wizard building, but as The Burrow was hidden, she expected so was the Lovegood's house.

"Let's try up here," Ron said from beside her and began leading the way over the top of the hill.

They walked for a few hours, Harry, at Hermione's insistence, hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Alicia refused to stay clustered under it with her brother and nothing Hermione could say stopped that. The cluster of low hills appeared to be uninhabited apart from one small cottage, which seemed deserted.

"Do you think it's theirs, and they've gone away for Christmas?" said Hermione, peering through the window at a neat little kitchen with geraniums on the windowsill. Ron snorted.

"Listen, I've got a feeling you'd be able to tell who lived there if you looked through the Lovegoods' window. Let's try the next lot of hills."

"I agree, if you think of Luna and how her father is their place will definitely be interesting." Alicia said.

So they Disapparated a few miles farther north.

"Aha!" shouted Ron, as the wind whipped their hair and clothes. Ron was pointing upward, toward the top of the hill on which they had appeared, where a most strange-looking house rose vertically against the sky, a great black cylinder with a ghostly moon hanging behind it in the afternoon sky. "That's got to be Luna's house, who else would live in a place like that? It looks like a giant rook!"

"It's nothing like a bird," said Hermione, frowning at the tower. Alicia chuckled at Hermione.

"I was talking about a chess rook," said Ron. "A castle to you."

Ron's legs were the longest and he reached the top of the hill first. When Alicia, Harry and Hermione caught up with him, panting and clutching stitches in their sides, they found him grinning broadly.

"It's theirs," said Ron. "Look."

Three hand-painted signs had been tacked to a broken-down gate. The first read,

THE QUIBBLER. EDITOR: X. LOVEGOOD

the second,

PICK YOUR OWN MISTLETOE

the third,

KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS

"Dirigible plums?" Alicia said smirking slightly.

The gate creaked as they opened it. The zigzagging path leading to the front door was overgrown with a variety of odd plants, including a bush covered in the orange radish-like fruit Luna sometimes wore as earrings. Two aged crab apple trees, bent with the wind, stripped of leaves but still heavy with berry-sized red fruits and bushy crowns of white-beaded mistletoe, stood sentinel on either side of the front door. A little owl with a slightly flattened, hawklike head peered down at them from one of the branches.

"You'd better take off the Invisibility Cloak, Harry," said Hermione. "It's you Mr. Lovegood wants to help, not us."

He did as she suggested, handing her the Cloak to stow in the beaded bag. She then rapped three times on the thick black door, which was studded with iron nails and bore a knocker shaped like an eagle.

Barely ten seconds passed, then the door was flung open and there stood Xenophilius Lovegood, barefoot and wearing what appeared to be a stained nightshirt. His long white candyfloss hair was dirty and unkempt. Xenophilius had been positively dapper at Bill and Fleur's wedding by comparison.

Alicia looked him over and something about him made her purse her lips. Why was he suddenly so unkept? Was he that busy with the Quibbler that he couldn't afford to simply brush his hair here or there, or wash his nightshirt? Speaking of which, why was he still wearing a nightshirt?

"What? What is it? Who are you? What do you want?" he cried in a high-pitched, querulous voice, looking first at Hermione, then at Ron, and finally at Alicia and Harry, upon which his mouth fell open in a perfect, comical O.

"Hello, Mr. Lovegood," said Harry, holding out his hand. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

Xenophilius did not take Harry's hand, although the eye that was not pointing inward at his nose slid straight to the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Would it be okay if we came in?" asked Harry. "There's something we'd like to ask you."

"I… I'm not sure that's advisable," whispered Xenophilius. He swallowed and cast a quick look around the garden. "Rather a shock… My word… I… I'm afraid I don't really think I ought to —"

Alicia turned to glance around the hills as though there was something around that had caused Xenophilius worry. She couldn't see anything but that didn't mean there wasn't something there.

"It won't take long," said Harry, slightly disappointed by this less-than-warm welcome.

"I — oh, all right then. Come in, quickly. _Quickly_!"

They were barely over the threshold when Xenophilius slammed the door shut behind them. Alicia spun around. She felt like she'd just been locked up.

They were standing in the most peculiar kitchen. The room was perfectly circular, so that it felt like being inside a giant pepper pot. Everything was curved to fit the walls — the stove, the sink, and the cupboards — and all of it had been painted with flowers, insects, and birds in bright primary colours. It was easy to recognised Luna's style: The effect, in such an enclosed space, was slightly overwhelming.

In the middle of the floor, a wrought-iron spiral staircase led to the upper levels. There was a great deal of clattering and banging coming from overhead.

"You'd better come up," said Xenophilius, still looking extremely uncomfortable, and he led the way.

The room above seemed to be a combination of living room and workplace, and as such, was even more cluttered than the kitchen. There were piles upon piles of books and papers on every surface. Delicately made models of creatures not generally recognised, all with flapping wings or snapping jaws, hung from the ceiling.

Luna was not there: The thing that was making such a racket was a wooden object covered in magically turning cogs and wheels. It looked like the bizarre offspring of a workbench and a set of old shelves, but was in fact an old-fashioned printing press, due to the fact that it was churning out _Quibblers._

"Excuse me," said Xenophilius, and he strode over to the machine, seized a grubby tablecloth from beneath an immense number of books and papers, which all tumbled onto the floor, and threw it over the press, somewhat muffling the loud bangs and clatters. He then faced Harry.

"Why have you come here?"

Before Harry could speak, however, Hermione let out a small cry of shock.

"Mr. Lovegood — what's that?"

She was pointing at an enormous, grey spiral horn, not unlike that of a unicorn, which had been mounted on the wall, protruding several feet into the room. Alicia looked at him before she looked slightly worried, edging slightly away from it.

"It is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack," said Xenophilius.

"No it isn't!" said Hermione and Alicia glanced at her. She didn't blame the girl but considering who they were talking to…

"Hermione," muttered Harry, embarrassed, "now's not the moment —"

"But Harry, it's an Erumpent horn! It's a Class B Tradable Material and it's an extraordinarily dangerous thing to have in a house!"

"How d'you know it's an Erumpent horn?" asked Ron, edging away from the horn as fast as he could, given the extreme clutter of the room.

"There's a description in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_! Mr. Lovegood, you need to get rid of it straightaway, don't you know it can explode at the slightest touch?"

"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack," said Xenophilius very clearly, a mulish look upon his face, "is a shy and highly magical creature, and its horn —"

"Mr. Lovegood, I recognise the grooved markings around the base, that's an Erumpent horn and it's incredibly dangerous — I don't know where you got it —"

"I bought it," said Xenophilius dogmatically, "two weeks ago, from a delightful young wizard who knew of my interest in the exquisite Snorkack. A Christmas surprise for my Luna. Now," he said, turning to Harry, "why exactly have you come here, Mr. Potter?"

"We need some help," said Harry, before Hermione could start again.

"Ah," said Xenophilius. "Help. Hmm."

His good eye moved again to Harry's scar. He seemed simultaneously terrified and mesmerised.

"Yes. The thing is… helping Harry Potter… rather dangerous…" Alicia rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Aren't you the one who keeps telling everyone it's their first duty to help Harry?" said Ron. "In that magazine of yours?"

Xenophilius glanced behind him at the concealed printing press, still banging and clattering beneath the tablecloth.

"Er — yes, I have expressed that view. However —"

"That's for everyone else to do, not you personally?" said Ron.

Xenophilius did not answer. He kept swallowing, his eyes darting between the three of them. It seemed he was undergoing some painful internal struggle.

"Where's Luna?" asked Hermione. "Let's see what she thinks."

Xenophilius gulped. He seemed to be steeling himself. Finally he said in a shaky voice difficult to hear over the noise of the printing press, "Luna is down at the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies. She… she will like to see you. I'll go and call her and then — yes, very well. I shall try to help you."

He disappeared down the spiral staircase and they heard the front door open and close. They looked at each other.

"Cowardly old wart," said Ron. "Luna's got ten times his guts."

"He's probably worried about what'll happen to them if the Death Eaters find out I was here," said Harry.

"Yeah…" Alicia mumbled as she glanced down the stairs. She moved over to the window to try and get a glimpse of the man through it.

"Well, I agree with Ron," said Hermione. "Awful old hypocrite, telling everyone else to help you and trying to worm out of it himself. And for heaven's sake keep away from that horn."

Harry joined Alicia as Hermione spoke. The house was very high up on the hill, a little ways below there was the stream, a thin, glittering ribbon lying far below them at the base of the hill. A bird fluttered past the window and Alicia caught sight of it just before it vanished and she pursed her lips.

"This doesn't feel right to me." she admitted turning to the two behind her. "I don't think we should be here."

"Why not? Just cause he's a coward?" Ron asked

"Cowards make stupid decisions." Alicia admitted carefully.

Harry said nothing but moved across the room.

"Look at this," said Harry. He stood by a peculiar object standing upon the cluttered, curved sideboard: a stone bust of a beautiful but austere-looking witch wearing a most bizarre-looking headdress. Two objects that resembled golden ear trumpets curved out from the sides. A tiny pair of glittering blue wings was stuck to a leather strap that ran over the top of her head, while one of the orange radishes had been stuck to a second strap around her forehead.

"Fetching," said Ron. "Surprised he didn't wear that to the wedding."

They heard the front door close, and a moment later Xenophilius had climbed back up the spiral staircase into the room, his thin legs now encased in Wellington boots, bearing a tray of ill-assorted teacups and a steaming teapot.

"Ah, you have spotted my pet invention," he said, shoving the tray into Hermione's arms and joining Harry at the statue's side. "Modelled, fittingly enough, upon the head of the beautiful Rowena Ravenclaw. ' _Wit beyond measure is man_ _'_ _s greatest treasure_!' "

Alicia smiled slightly. _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure!_ she liked it.

Xenophilius indicated the objects like ear trumpets.

"These are the Wrackspurt siphons — to remove all sources of distraction from the thinker's immediate area. Here," he pointed out the tiny wings, "a billywig propeller, to induce an elevated frame of mind. Finally," he pointed to the orange radish, "the Dirigible Plum, so as to enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary."

Xenophilius strode back to the tea tray, which Hermione had managed to balance precariously on one of the cluttered side tables.

"May I offer you all an infusion of Gurdyroots?" said Xenophilius. His demeanour had changed since just before. "We make it ourselves." As he started to pour out the drink, which was as deeply purple as beetroot juice, he added, "Luna is down beyond Bottom Bridge, she is most excited that you are here. She ought not to be too long, she has caught nearly enough Plimpies to make soup for all of us. Do sit down and help yourselves to sugar.

"Now," he removed a tottering pile of papers from an armchair and sat down, his Wellingtoned legs crossed, "how may I help you, Mr. Potter?"

"Well," said Harry, glancing at Hermione, who nodded encouragingly, "it's about that symbol you were wearing around your neck at Bill and Fleur's wedding, Mr. Lovegood. We wondered what it meant."

Xenophilius raised his eyebrows.

"Are you referring to the sign of the Deathly Hallows?"


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

Alicia rose an eyebrow while Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione. None of them seemed to have understood what Xenophilius had said either.

"The Deathly Hallows?"

"That's right," said Xenophilius. "You haven't heard of them? I'm not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe. Witness that knuckle-headed young man at your brother's wedding," he nodded at Ron, "who attacked me for sporting the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard! Such ignorance. There is nothing Dark about the Hallows — at least, not in that crude sense. One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the Quest."

He stirred several lumps of sugar into his Gurdyroot infusion and drank some.

"I'm sorry," said Harry. "I still don't really understand."

To be polite, he took a sip from his cup too, and almost gagged. Alicia hid her smirk as she just had her's sitting in her lap.

"Well, you see, believers seek the Deathly Hallows," said Xenophilius, smacking his lips in apparent appreciation of the Gurdyroot infusion.

"But what _are_ the Deathly Hallows?" asked Hermione.

Xenophilius set aside his empty teacup.

"I assume that you are all familiar with "The Tale of the Three Brothers'?"

Alicia and Harry said, "No," but Ron and Hermione both said, "Yes." Xenophilius nodded gravely.

"Well, well, Mr. Potter, Miss. Potter, the whole thing starts with 'The Tale of the Three Brothers'… I have a copy somewhere…"

He glanced vaguely around the room, at the piles of parchment and books, but Hermione said, "I've got a copy, Mr. Lovegood, I've got it right here."

And she pulled out _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ from the small, beaded bag.

"The original?" inquired Xenophilius sharply, and when she nodded, he said, "Well then, why don't you read it aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand."

"Er… all right," said Hermione nervously. She opened the book, and Harry saw that the symbol they were investigating headed the top of the page as she gave a little cough, and began to read.

"' _There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight_ _—'_ "

"Midnight, our mum always told us," said Ron, who had stretched out, arms behind his head, to listen. Hermione shot him a look of annoyance.

"Sorry, I just think it's a bit spookier if it's midnight!" said Ron.

"Yeah, because we really need a bit more fear in our lives," said Harry before he could stop himself and Alicia chuckled. Xenophilius did not seem to be paying much attention, but was staring out of the window at the sky. "Go on, Hermione."

" ' _In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure._

" ' _And Death spoke to them_ —'"

"Sorry," interjected Harry, "but _Death_ spoke to them?"

"It's a fairy tale, Harry!"

"Right, sorry. Go on."

" ' _And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travellers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him._

" ' _So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother._

"' _Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead._

"' _And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility._ _'_ "

"Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?" Harry interrupted again and Alicia nudged him annoyed.

"So he can sneak up on people," said Ron. "Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking… sorry, Hermione."

" ' _Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death_ _'s gifts._

" ' _In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination._

" ' _The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible._

" ' _That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother_ _'_ _s throat._

" ' _And so Death took the first brother for his own._

"' _Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him._

" ' _Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her._

" ' _And so Death took the second brother for his own._

" ' _But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life._ _'_ "

Hermione closed the book. It was a moment or two before Xenophilius seemed to realise that she had stopped reading, then he withdrew his gaze from the window and said, "Well, there you are."

"Sorry?" said Hermione, sounding confused.

"Those are the Deathly Hallows," said Xenophilius.

"Do you mean the objects?" Alicia asked as the three looked confused and her calculating. The three looked at her. "The wand, the stone, the cloak?" Xenophilius nodded. He picked up a quill from a packed table at his elbow, and pulled a torn piece of parchment from between more books.

"The Elder Wand," he said, and he drew a straight vertical line upon the parchment. "The Resurrection Stone," he said, and he added a circle on top of the line. "The Cloak of Invisibility," he finished, enclosing both line and circle in a triangle, to make the symbol that so intrigued Hermione. "Together," he said, "the Deathly Hallows."

"But there's no mention of the words 'Deathly Hallows' in the story," said Hermione.

"Well, of course not," said Xenophilius, maddeningly smug. "That is a children's tale, told to amuse rather than to instruct. Those of us who understand these matters, however, recognise that the ancient story refers to three objects, or Hallows, which, if united, will make the possessor master of Death."

There was a short silence in which Xenophilius glanced out of the window. Already the sun was low in the sky.

"Luna ought to have enough Plimpies soon," he said quietly.

Alicia looked surprised. So there was a wand, a stone and a cloak in which existed in the world better than all others? Or at least some believe so.

Thinking about it though, Alicia didn't see how it couldn't be true. _After all, Harry has a perfect cloak like none other._ she remembered.

"When you say 'master of Death' —" said Ron.

"Master," said Xenophilius, waving an airy hand. "Conqueror. Vanquisher. Whichever term you prefer."

"But then… do you mean…" said Hermione slowly, and it was obvious that she was trying to keep any trace of skepticism out of her voice, "that you believe these objects — these Hallows — actually exist?"

Xenophilius raised his eyebrows again.

"Well, of course."

"But," said Hermione, her restraint starting to crack, "Mr. Lovegood, how can you _possibly_ believe — ?"

"Luna has told me all about you, young lady," said Xenophilius. "You are, I gather, not unintelligent, but painfully limited. Narrow. Close-minded."

"Perhaps you ought to try on the hat, Hermione," said Ron, nodding toward the ludicrous headdress. His voice shook with the strain of not laughing. Alicia shot him a very warning look, being called close-minded will have hit a nerve on Hermione.

"Mr. Lovegood," Hermione began again. "We all know that there are such things as Invisibility Cloaks. They are rare, but they exist. But —"

"Ah, but the Third Hallow is a _true_ Cloak of Invisibility, Miss Granger! I mean to say, it is not a traveling cloak imbued with a Disillusionment Charm, or carrying a Bedazzling Hex, or else woven from Demiguise hair, which will hide one initially but fade with the years until it turns opaque. We are talking about a cloak that really and truly renders the wearer completely invisible, and endures eternally, giving constant and impenetrable concealment, no matter what spells are cast at it. How many cloaks have you ever seen like _that,_ Miss Granger?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again, looking more confused than ever. She, Harry, and Ron glanced at one another, and Harry knew that they were all thinking the same thing. It so happened that a cloak exactly like the one Xenophilius had just described was in the room with them at that very moment.

 _After all, when spells were shot at the cloak, it did nothing._ Alicia herself was a witness of this last year especially.

"Exactly," said Xenophilius, as if he had defeated them all in reasoned argument. "None of you have ever seen such a thing. The possessor would be immeasurably rich, would he not?"

He glanced out of the window again. The sky was now tinged with the faintest trace of pink.

"All right," said Hermione, disconcerted. "Say the Cloak existed… what about the stone, Mr. Lovegood? The thing you call the Resurrection Stone?"

"What of it?"

"Well, how can that be real?"

"Prove that it is not," said Xenophilius.

Hermione looked outraged but Alicia looked amused.

"But that's — I'm sorry, but that's completely ridiculous! How can I _possibly_ prove it doesn't exist? Do you expect me to get hold of — of all the pebbles in the world and test them? I mean, you could claim that _anything_ _'s_ real if the only basis for believing in it is that nobody's _proved_ it doesn't exist!"

"Yes, you could," said Xenophilius. "I am glad to see that you are opening your mind a little."

"So the Elder Wand," said Harry quickly, before Hermione could retort, "you think that exists too?"

"Oh, well, in that case there is endless evidence," said Xenophilius. "The Elder Wand is the Hallow that is most easily traced, because of the way in which it passes from hand to hand."

"Which is what?" asked Harry.

"Death." Alicia said thinking and Xenophillius nodded to her.

"Very good. Which is that the possessor of the wand must capture it from its previous owner, if he is to be truly master of it," said Xenophilius. "Surely you have heard of the way the wand came to Egbert the Egregious, after his slaughter of Emeric the Evil? Of how Godelot died in his own cellar after his son, Hereward, took the wand from him? Of the dreadful Loxias, who took the wand from Barnabas Deverill, whom he had killed? The bloody trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history."

Harry glanced at Hermione. She was frowning at Xenophilius, but she did not contradict him.

"So where do you think the Elder Wand is now?" asked Ron.

"Alas, who knows?" said Xenophilius, as he gazed out of the window. "Who knows where the Elder Wand lies hidden? The trail goes cold with Arcus and Livius. Who can say which of them really defeated Loxias, and which took the wand? And who can say who may have defeated them? History, alas, does not tell us."

There was a pause. Finally Hermione asked stiffly, "Mr. Lovegood, does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathly Hallows?"

Xenophilius looked taken aback as something shifted and Alicia's mouth dropped open. She remembered. That name, it had been on the grave, but now thinking about it, it had been somewhere else as well, a memory from a life time ago.

" _That_ _'_ _s right!_ _" roared Gaunt._ _Alicia noticed that the hand movement Gaunt was making was to show Ogden the ring on his middle finger. It was rather ugly and black-stoned. Alicia looked at it surprised and then glanced down at Dumbledore's hand. She was very sure that the same ring had sat on his finger, though now it did not._

" _See this? See this? Know what it is? Know where it came from? Centuries it_ _'_ _s been in our family, that_ _'_ _s how far back we go, and pure-blood all the way! Know how much I_ _'_ _ve been offered for this, with the Peverell coat of arms engraved on the stone?_ _"_

"But you have been misleading me, young woman!" said Xenophilius, now sitting up much straighter in his chair and goggling at Hermione. "I thought you were new to the Hallows Quest! Many of us Questers believe that the Peverells have everything — _everything_! — to do with the Hallows!"

"Who are the Peverells?" asked Ron.

"That was the name on the grave with the mark on it, in Godric's Hollow," said Hermione, still watching Xenophilius. "Ignotus Peverell."

"Exactly!" said Xenophilius, his forefinger raised pedantically. "The sign of the Deathly Hallows on Ignotus's grave is conclusive proof!"

"Of what?" asked Ron.

"Why, that the three brothers in the story were actually the three Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus! That they were the original owners of the Hallows!"

With another glance at the window he got to his feet, picked up the tray, and headed for the spiral staircase.

"You will stay for dinner?" he called, as he vanished downstairs again. "Everybody always requests our recipe for Freshwater Plimpy soup."

"Probably to show the Poisoning Department at St. Mungo's," said Ron under his breath.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

Harry waited until they could hear Xenophilius moving about in the kitchen downstairs before speaking.

"What do you think?" he asked Hermione.

"Oh, Harry," she said wearily, "it's a pile of utter rubbish. This can't be what the sign really means. This must just be his weird take on it. What a waste of time."

Alicia however disagreed. That stone, years and years ago, put into a ring with the scratchings on it, she had to dive into the memory and have a better look, but she was sure of it. It was from the Peverells. It didn't say the stone was real, but it proved that something had been passed down. Another thing, Ignotus Pevrell had been in Godric's Hollow were the Potter twins had been, with a cloak that had been passed down from Ignotus from his son, was it not likely to be continued to be passed onwards? Until it reached Harry that Christmas of their first year of Hogwarts?

"I s'pose this _is_ the man who brought us Crumple-Horned Snorkacks," said Ron.

"You don't believe it either?" Harry asked him.

"Nah, that story's just one of those things you tell kids to teach them lessons, isn't it? 'Don't go looking for trouble, don't pick fights, don't go messing around with stuff that's best left alone! Just keep your head down, mind your own business, and you'll be okay' Come to think of it," Ron added, "maybe that story's why elder wands are supposed to be unlucky."

"What are you talking about?"

"One of those superstitions, isn't it? 'May-born witches will marry Muggles.' 'Jinx by twilight, undone by midnight.' 'Wand of elder, never prosper.' You must've heard them. My mum's full of them."

"Harry and I were raised by Muggles," Hermione reminded him. "We were taught different superstitions." She sighed deeply as a rather pungent smell drifted up from the kitchen. The one good thing about her exasperation with Xenophilius was that it seemed to have made her forget that she was annoyed at Ron. "Well I think you're right," she told him.

"Alicia?" Harry asked. The three turned to her and she pursed her lips.

"Well, the cloak we know is real. And legends are lessons that stem from truths. I mean how does a person just make something like that up?"

"Oh Alicia, don't tell me you believe this rubbish?" Hermione snapped

"How can you not when we know of one already? If there's one, why not another, and you heard him about the wand. I don't know about you but those are real stories with real names, I've definitely read of a few of them." She said.

"There's no proof!" Hermione said

"There was no proof beside mine and Harry's word You-Know-Who was back." Hermione snapped her mouth shut.

"That's different."

"Not really." Alicia disagreed.

"It's just a morality tale, it's obvious which gift is best, which one you'd choose —"

The three of them spoke at the same time and Alicia looked surprised; Hermione said, "the Cloak," Ron said, "the wand," and Harry said, "the stone."

They looked at each other, half surprised, half amused and Alicia chuckled.

"You're _supposed_ to say the Cloak," Ron told Hermione, "but you wouldn't need to be invisible if you had the wand. _An unbeatable wand,_ Hermione, come on!"

"We've already got an Invisibility Cloak," said Harry.

"And it's helped us rather a lot, in case you hadn't noticed!" said Hermione. "Whereas the wand would be bound to attract trouble —"

"Only if you shouted about it," argued Ron. "Only if you were prat enough to go dancing around, waving it over your head, and singing, 'I've got an unbeatable wand, come and have a go if you think you're hard enough.' As long as you kept your trap shut —"

"Yes, but _could_ you keep your trap shut?" said Hermione, looking skeptical. "You know, the only true thing he said to us was that there have been stories about extra-powerful wands for hundreds of years."

"There have?" asked Harry.

Hermione looked exasperated: The expression was so endearingly familiar that Harry and Ron grinned at each other. Alicia rolled her eyes and hit her forehead.

"Seriously you two."

"The Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny, they crop up under different names through the centuries, usually in the possession of some Dark wizard who's boasting about them. Professor Binns mentioned some of them, but — oh, it's all nonsense. Wands are only as powerful as the wizards who use them. Some wizards just like to boast that theirs are bigger and better than other people's."

"But how do you know," said Harry, "that those wands — the Deathstick and the Wand of Destiny — aren't the same wand, surfacing over the centuries under different names?"

"What, and they're all really the Elder Wand, made by Death?" said Ron.

Harry laughed randomly.

"So why would you take the stone?" Ron asked him.

"Well, if you could bring people back, we could have Sirius… Mad-Eye… Dumbledore… my parents…"

Neither Ron nor Hermione smiled.

"Harry," Alicia whispered "They wouldn't really be here." she reminded him "The story said their was a veil in the way." Harry looked at her "Honestly that one reminds me of the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore said men waisted away in front of it, wishing for what was beyond. The stone doesn't sound much different." Harry pursed his lips as he thought about it.

"I don't suppose there have been loads of other stories about a stone that can raise the dead, have there?" he asked Hermione.

"No," she replied sadly. "I don't think anyone except Mr. Lovegood could kid themselves that's possible. Beedle probably took the idea from the Philosopher's Stone; you know, instead of a stone to make you immortal, a stone to reverse death."

The smell from the kitchen was getting stronger: It was something like burning underpants.

"What about the Cloak, though?" said Ron slowly. "Don't you realise, he's right? I've got so used to Harry's Cloak and how good it is, I never stopped to think. I've never heard of one like Harry's. It's infallible. We've never been spotted under it —"

"Of course not — we're invisible when we're under it, Ron!"

"But all the stuff he said about other cloaks, and they're not exactly ten a Knut, you know, is true! It's never occurred to me before, but I've heard stuff about charms wearing off cloaks when they get old, or them being ripped apart by spells so they've got holes in. Harry's was owned by his dad, so it's not exactly new, is it, but it's just… perfect!"

"Yes, all right, but Ron, the _stone…_ "

Harry got up as they argued in whispers while Alicia sat herself back in her seat.

A wand that was unbeatable. A stone to revive the dead. A cloak to hide oneself. The Cloak passed down through the inhabitants of Godric's Hollow. A stone passed down as a ring through the Gaunts…

Alicia's eyebrows furrowed. Dumbledore had had that ring. What's more, he'd put it on and cursed his hand…

 _And he knew of the hallows, possibly, he sighed a letter with the symbol…_ Had Dumbledore believed? Had he believed the stone so real that he'd put it on, forgetting about the fact it was no longer just a ring?

And Alicia could guess why, his mother, his sister…

 _This dreadful coffin-side brawl, known only to those few who attended Ariana Dumbledore_ _'_ _s funeral, raises several questions. Why exactly did Aberforth Dumbledore blame Albus for his sister_ _'_ _s death? Was it, as_ _"_ _Batty_ _"_ _pretends, a mere effusion of grief? Or could there have been some more concrete reason for his fury? Grindelwald, expelled from Durmstrang for near-fatal attacks upon fellow students, fled the country hours after the girl_ _'_ _s death, and Albus (out of shame or fear?) never saw him again, not until forced to do so by the pleas of the Wizarding world._

She remembered the words from Rita Skeeters book. And then she remembered Dumbledore, when he'd been drinking the potion in the cave to collect the locket horcrux.

" _It_ _'_ _s all my fault, all my fault,_ _"_ _he sobbed._ _"_ _Please make it stop, I know I did wrong, oh please make it stop and I_ _'_ _ll never, never again…"_

It all seems like he blamed himself for something. Had he wanted to bring them back to quell some last quarrel? It seemed strange that someone like Dumbledore would believe something so primitive, but perhaps, it wasn't actually.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Hermione.

"Harry, what are you doing? I don't think you should look around when he's not here!"

Alicia turned to see Harry climbing the stairs. It wasn't a few minutes later that he came right back down again, his posture was completely different now though.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked but before he could respond, Xenophilius reached the top of the stairs from the kitchen, now holding a tray laden with bowls.

"Mr. Lovegood," said Harry. "Where's Luna?"

"Excuse me?"

"Where's Luna?"

Xenophilius halted on the top step.

"I — I've already told you. She is down at Bottom Bridge, fishing for Plimpies."

"So why have you only laid that tray for five?"

Xenophilius tried to speak, but no sound came out. The only noise was the continued chugging of the printing press, and a slight rattle from the tray as Xenophilius's hands shook.

"I don't think Luna's been here for weeks," said Harry. "Her clothes are gone, her bed hasn't been slept in. Where is she? And why do you keep looking out of the window?"

Xenophilius dropped the tray: The bowls bounced and smashed. Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew their wands: Xenophilius froze, his hand about to enter his pocket. At that moment the printing press gave a huge bang and numerous _Quibblers_ came streaming across the floor from underneath the tablecloth; the press fell silent at last.

Hermione stooped down and picked up one of the magazines, her wand still pointing at Mr. Lovegood.

"Harry, look at this."

He strode over to her as quickly as he could through all the clutter. The front of _The Quibbler_ carried his own picture, emblazoned with the words _Undesirable Number One_ and captioned with the reward money.

" _The Quibbler_ _'s_ going for a new angle, then?" Harry asked coldly, his mind working very fast. "Is that what you were doing when you went into the garden, Mr. Lovegood? Sending an owl to the Ministry?"

Xenophilius licked his lips.

"They took my Luna," he whispered. "Because of what I've been writing. They took my Luna and I don't know where she is, what they've done to her. But they might give her back to me if I — if I —"

"Hand over Harry?" Hermione finished for him.

"No deal," said Ron flatly. "Get out of the way, we're leaving." Xenophilius looked ghastly, a century old, his lips drawn back into a dreadful leer.

"They will be here at any moment. I must save Luna. I cannot lose Luna. You must not leave."

He spread his arms in front of the staircase, and Alicia frowned. Had her and Harry's mother not done the same thing? Here was Xeneophillius risking himself in order to just have his only daughter and family member.

"Don't make us hurt you," Harry said. "Get out of the way, Mr. Lovegood."

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed.

Figures on broomsticks were flying past the windows. As Hermione, Ron and Harry looked away from him, Xenophilius drew his wand. Alicia's went up and the shield charm caused the stunning spell to deflect as Harry had launched himself sideways, shoving Ron and Hermione out of harm's way. Xenophilius's Stunning Spell soared across the room and hit the Erumpent horn.

There was a colossal explosion. The sound of it seemed to blow the room apart: Fragments of wood and paper and rubble flew in all directions, along with an impenetrable cloud of thick white dust. Harry flew through the air, then crashed to the floor, Alicia hit the wall and gasped as the air was knocked out while Hermione screamed, Ron yelled, and a series of sickening metallic thuds began. Xenophilius had been blasted off his feet and fallen backward down the spiral stairs.

Alicia coughed and opened her eyes as she began to slide down the wall and regained her feet. Dust was everywhere and Alicia breathed it in and coughed some more. Half of the ceiling had fallen in, and the end of Luna's bed was hanging through the hole. The bust of Rowena Ravenclaw lay beside Harry who was covered in white fluff, parchment and dust. Fragments of torn parchment were floating through the air, and most of the printing press lay on its side, blocking the top of the staircase to the kitchen. Then another white shape moved close by, and Hermione, coated in dust like a second statue, pressed her finger to her lips.

The door downstairs crashed open.

"Didn't I tell you there was no need to hurry, Travers?" said a rough voice. "Didn't I tell you this nutter was just raving as usual?" There was a bang and a scream of pain from Xenophilius.

"No… no… upstairs… Potter!"

"I told you last week, Lovegood, we weren't coming back for anything less than some solid information! Remember last week? When you wanted to swap your daughter for that stupid bleeding headdress? And the week before" — another bang, another squeal — "when you thought we'd give her back if you offered us proof there are Crumple" — _bang_ — "Headed" — _bang_ — "Snorkacks?"

"No — no — I beg you!" sobbed Xenophilius. "It really is Potter! Really!"

"And now it turns out you only called us here to try and blow us up!" roared the Death Eater, and there was a volley of bangs interspersed with squeals of agony from Xenophilius.

"The place looks like it's about to fall in, Selwyn," said a cool second voice, echoing up the mangled staircase. "The stairs are completely blocked. Could try clearing it? Might bring the place down."

"You lying piece of filth," shouted the wizard named Selwyn. "You've never seen Potter in your life, have you? Thought you'd lure us here to kill us, did you? And you think you'll get your girl back like this?"

"I swear… I swear… Potter's upstairs!"

" _Homenum revelio,_ " said the voice at the foot of the stairs.

Hermione gasped and Alicia grit her teeth as she had the odd sensation that something was swooping low over her, immersing his body in its shadow.

"There's someone up there all right, Selwyn," said the second man sharply.

"It's Potter, I tell you, it's Potter!" sobbed Xenophilius. "Please… please… give me Luna, just let me have Luna…"

"You can have your little girl, Lovegood," said Selwyn, "if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. But if this is a plot, if it's a trick, if you've got an accomplice waiting up there to ambush us, we'll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury."

Xenophilius gave a wail of fear and despair. There were scurryings and scrapings: Xenophilius was trying to get through the debris on the stairs.

"Come on," Harry whispered, "we've got to get out of here."

"Hermione," Alicia said turning to her and she girl nodded, thinking hard.

Harry started to dig himself out under cover of all the noise Xenophilius was making on the staircase. Ron was buried deepest: Alicia, Harry and Hermione climbed, as quietly as they could, over all the wreckage to where he lay, trying to prise a heavy chest of drawers off his legs. While Xenophilius's banging and scraping drew nearer and nearer, Hermione managed to free Ron with the use of a Hover Charm.

"All right," breathed Hermione, as the broken printing press blocking the top of the stairs began to tremble; Xenophilius was feet away from them. She was still white with dust. "Do you trust me, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"Okay then," Hermione whispered, "give me the Invisibility Cloak. Ron, you're going to put it on."

"Me? But Harry —"

"Don't argue." Alicia said quietly.

" _Please, Ron_! Harry, hold on tight to my hand, Ron, grab my shoulder. Alicia," Hermione held her hand to the girl who took it.

Harry held out his left hand. Ron vanished beneath the Cloak. The printing press blocking the stairs was vibrating: Xenophilius was trying to shift it using a Hover Charm. They stayed, and they waited.

"Hold tight," she whispered. "Hold tight… any second…"

Xenophilius's paper-white face appeared over the top of the sideboard.

" _Obliviate_!" cried Hermione, pointing her wand first into his face, while Alicia had her's at the floor.

" _Deprimo_!" She had blasted a hole in the sitting room floor. They fell like boulders, Harry still holding onto Hermione's hand for dear life; there was a scream from below, and they glimpsed two men trying to get out of the way as vast quantities of rubble and broken furniture rained all around them from the shattered ceiling. Hermione twisted in midair and the thundering of the collapsing house rang as she dragged them once more into darkness.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34:

Hermione and Alicia landed on their foot as Harry fell to the grass and there was a thump of Ron stumbling too. Hermione instantly began to walk around in a circle as Alicia moved for the bags to dig out the tent.

" _Protego Totalum_ … _Salvio Hexia_ …"

"That treacherous old bleeder!" Ron panted, emerging from beneath the Invisibility Cloak and throwing it to Harry. "Hermione, you're a genius, a total genius, I can't believe we got out of that!"

" _Cave Inimicum_ _…_ Didn't I _say_ it was an Erumpent horn, didn't I tell him? And now his house has been blown apart!"

"Serves him right," said Ron, examining his torn jeans and the cuts to his legs. "What d'you reckon they'll do to him?"

"Oh, I hope they don't kill him!" groaned Hermione. "That's why I wanted the Death Eaters to get a glimpse of Harry before we left, or at least Alicia, so they knew Xenophilius hadn't been lying!"

"Why hide me, though?" asked Ron.

"You weren't supposed to be there." Alicia said obviously as she waved her wand and the tent shot up into position before her.

"You're supposed to be in bed with spattergroit, Ron! They've kidnapped Luna because her father supported Harry! What would happen to your family if they knew you're with him?"

"But what about _your_ mum and dad?"

"They're in Australia," said Hermione. "They should be all right. They don't know anything."

"You're a genius," Ron repeated, looking awed.

"Yeah, you are, Hermione," agreed Harry fervently. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

She beamed, but became solemn at once.

"What about Luna?"

"Well, if they're telling the truth and she's still alive —" began Ron.

"Don't say that, don't say it!" squealed Hermione. "She must be alive, she must!"

"She's not much leverage if she's not." Alicia said thinking "If they want to control Lovegood than she needs to be alive."

"Then she'll be in Azkaban, I expect," said Ron. "Whether she survives the place, though… Loads don't…"

"She will," said Harry. He could not bear to contemplate the alternative. "She's tough, Luna, much tougher than you'd think. She's probably teaching all the inmates about Wrackspurts and Nargles."

"I hope you're right," said Hermione.

"Don't forget, Sirius survived that place for 12 years, and he survived because he knew he was innocent. Luna's even more so, she'll be alright." Alicia reminded them as she was first to enter the tent. The other three followed her as Hermione passed a hand over her eyes. "I'd feel so sorry for Xenophilius if —"

"— if he hadn't just tried to sell us to the Death Eaters, yeah," said Ron.

Ron made them tea as Alicia slumped herself into her favourite chair with a heavy sigh. After their narrow escape, the chilly, musty old place felt like home: safe, familiar, and friendly.

"Oh, why did we go there?" groaned Hermione after a few minutes' silence. "Harry, you were right, it was Godric's Hollow all again, a complete waste of time!"

"What did I tell you." Alicia grumbled

"Best we start listening to her." Harry chuckled as she shot him a look.

"The Deathly Hallows… such rubbish… although actually," Hermione continued as a sudden thought seemed to have struck her, "he might have made it all up, mightn't he? He probably doesn't believe in the Deathly Hallows at all, he just wanted to keep us talking until the Death Eaters arrived!"

"I don't think so," said Ron. "It's a damn sight harder making stuff up when you're under stress than you'd think. I found that out when the Snatchers caught me. It was much easier pretending to be Stan, because I knew a bit about him, than inventing a whole new person. Old Lovegood was under loads of pressure, trying to make sure we stayed put. I reckon he told us the truth, or what he thinks is the truth, just to keep us talking."

"Well, I don't suppose it matters," sighed Hermione. "Even if he was being honest, I never heard such a lot of nonsense in all my life."

"Hang on, though," said Ron. "The Chamber of Secrets was supposed to be a myth, wasn't it?"

"But the Deathly Hallows _can_ _'t_ exist, Ron!"

"You keep saying that, but one of them can," said Ron. "Harry's Invisibility Cloak —"

" 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' is a story," said Hermione firmly. "A story about how humans are frightened of death. If surviving was as simple as hiding under the Invisibility Cloak, we'd have everything we need already!"

"Oh Hermione." Alicia muttered and they all turned to her "It doesn't mean literally defeating Death and living forever! It's about mentally accepting it and understanding that it's not the end. Not hiding from it. I bet people who were brought back, so it said by the stone, would tell you it's not to be frightened of in the first place. The cloak could give you time to put your affairs in order, and the wand, well you brag enough and your ends coming isn't it."

"Where'd yo get that from?" Harry asked. Alicia sighed and sat up.

"What was the whole point we went to find out about that symbol?" she asked. None answered. "Because Dumbledore wrote it in Hermione's book and then it crept up on us a few times. _Dumbledore wrote it._ Now I don't know if he believed in them but for the minute say we did. He was not scared of dying. Ever. He told us in our first year, remember Harry. Death is nothing but the next adventure."

"Dumbledore wouldn't believe in this rubbish." Hermione said

"Actually I think he may have." Alicia said and Hermione gapped at her

"They're not real!"

"Says who?"

"There's no proof!"

"Muggles have no proof magic exists either yet they believe in it. To most of them it's completely farfetched and yet there's a complete other world hiding below them. Just because there's not proof of something doesn't mean it's not real. There was no proof I survived the killing curse for 15 years too, yet I did and some people believed that as well." Alicia said "Just because it's not in a _factual_ book." she rolled her eyes and sat herself back down again.

"You know, we could do with an unbeatable wand," said Harry, turning the blackthorn wand he

so disliked over in his fingers.

"There's no such thing, Harry!" Hermione continued.

"You said there have been loads of wands — the Deathstick and whatever they were called —"

"All right, even if you want to kid yourself the Elder Wand's real, what about the Resurrection Stone?" Her fingers sketched quotation marks around the name, and her tone dripped sarcasm. "No magic can raise the dead, and that's that!"

"When my wand connected with You-Know-Who's, it made my mum and dad appear… and Cedric…"

"But they weren't really back from the dead, were they?" said Hermione. "Those kinds of — of pale imitations aren't the same as truly bringing someone back to life."

"Which is sort of what the book said happened. The girl wasn't actually there Hermione." Alicia shot in.

"Yeah she, the girl in the tale, didn't really come back, did she? The story says that once people are dead, they belong with the dead. But the second brother still got to see her and talk to her, didn't he? He even lived with her for a while…"

Concern and something less easily definable appeared in Hermione's expression. Alicia looked at her brother and sighed as Hermione glanced at Ron, the girl was afraid: He had scared her with his talk of living with dead people.

"So that Peverell bloke who's buried in Godric's Hollow," he said hastily, trying to sound robustly sane, "you don't know anything about him, then?"

"No," she replied, looking relieved at the change of subject. "I looked him up after I saw the mark on his grave; if he'd been anyone famous or done anything important, I'm sure he'd be in one of our books. The only place I've managed to find the name 'Peverell' is _Nature_ _'_ _s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy._ I borrowed it from Kreacher," she explained as Ron raised his eyebrows. "It lists the pure-blood families that are now extinct in the male line. Apparently the Peverells were one of the earliest families to vanish."

" 'Extinct in the male line'?" repeated Ron.

"It means the name's died out," said Hermione, "centuries ago, in the case of the Peverells. They could still have descendants, though, they'd just be called something different."

"Like Gaunt." Alicia said and Harry turned to her. "Remember him. Marvolo Gaunt."

"Marvolo Gaunt!"

"Sorry?" said Ron and Hermione together.

" _Marvolo Gaunt_! You-Know-Who's grandfather! In the Pensieve! With Dumbledore! Marvolo Gaunt said he was descended from the Peverells!" Harry suddenly raved in remembrance and Alicia waved a hand to him to answer Ron and Hermione's question.

Ron and Hermione looked bewildered.

"The ring, the ring that became the Horcrux, Marvolo Gaunt said it had the Peverell coat of arms on it! I saw him waving it in the bloke from the Ministry's face, he nearly shoved it up his nose!"

"The Peverell coat of arms?" said Hermione sharply. "Could you see what it looked like?"

"Not really," said Harry, trying to remember. "There was nothing fancy on there, as far as I could see; maybe a few scratches. I only ever saw it really close up after it had been cracked open."

"Blimey… You reckon it was this sign again? The sign of the Hallows?"

"Why not?" said Harry excitedly.

"Let's find out." Alicia said and she moved to her bag to pull out her Pensieve and the tangle of memory phials she'd taken from Dumbledore's office. She paused however.

"Hmm." she hummed and then put her wand to her temple. The other's watched as the strand was rather short when it broke from her head and she dropped it in the pensieve. She swirled the contents slightly before prodding it with her wand.

The four crowded around the glowing basin to look as the ring rose up out of the pensieve and turned, revolving on the spot. It was the same ring, still rather ugly and black-stoned which held a crack in it. The four leaned even closer to get a better look. The stone had cracked down a vertical line and with a very close inspection, the four could just make out the triangle and circle of the symbol they'd been hunting.

"You were right Harry."

"This proves nothing." Hermione snapped

"Right, we have Ignotus in Godric's Hollow, who's grave is I don't even know how old, with this symbol on it and now we have a ring, a family heirloom with the same sign on it that's said, by it's owner, to be passed down by a Peverell as well. The Gaunts lived in a shabby house miles from Godric's Hollow Hermione, how did the sign get to both places?" Alicia asked "A place where an invisibility cloak was passed down and a stone in a ring?"

"That's it!" Harry said, his excitement building, "The Resurrection Stone!"

"Okay, it's a stone, in a ring, let's not go that far yet." Alicia said before Hermione could start an argument. "But it's definitely been passed down from the Peverells who were said to possess something of that nature. That cannot be denied, proof or not." she added looking at Hermione.

Harry ignored his sister as he stared at the ring.

"Marvolo Gaunt was an ignorant old git who lived like a pig, all he cared about was his ancestry. If that ring had been passed down through the centuries, he might not have known what it really was. There were no books in that house, and trust me, he wasn't the type to read fairy tales to his kids. He'd have loved to think the scratches on the stone were a coat of arms, because as far as he was concerned, having pure blood made you practically royal."

"Yes… and that's all very interesting," said Hermione cautiously, "but Harry, if you're thinking what I think you're think —"

"Well, why not? _Why not_?" said Harry, abandoning caution. "It was a stone, wasn't it?" He looked at Ron for support. "What if it was the Resurrection Stone?"

Ron's mouth fell open.

"Blimey — but would it still work if Dumbledore broke — ?"

"Work? _Work_? Ron, it never worked! _There_ _'_ _s no such thing as a Resurrection Stone_!"

"I bet you eat those words." Alicia said "This isn't the first time you've doubted something and been wrong."

Hermione had leapt to her feet, looking exasperated and angry.

"Harry, you're trying to fit everything into the Hallows story —"

" _Fit everything in_?" he repeated. "Hermione, it fits of its own accord! The sign of the Deathly Hallows is on that stone! Gaunt said he was descended from the Peverells!"

"A minute ago you told us you never saw the mark on the stone properly!"

"Well there's your 'properly' for you." Harry said pointing at the pensieve.

"Where d'you reckon the ring is now?" Ron asked Harry. "What did Dumbledore do with it after he broke it open?"

"It wouldn't be lying around, and I doubt he'd leave it for the ministry to find." Alicia said thinking.

But Alicia had had a thought. Harry was to die, well he was to be hit with the killing curse, there was a slight possibility Dumbledore had believed in the Hallows, and he had only made a guess at Harry's survival. Had he decided on something else to put in place to keep Harry alive? Had he put them on the path of the Hallows to make Harry master of Death when he faced Voldemort? She wasn't sure if they stopped you from dying, but that didn't mean everyone believed that too.

"Harry?"

But it seemed Harry scarcely heard Hermione: He had pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and was running it through his fingers, the cloth supple as water, light as air.

He suddenly gasped as he looked at it.

"Dumbledore had my Cloak the night my parents died!" His voice shook slightly. "My mum told Sirius that Dumbledore borrowed the Cloak! This is why! He wanted to examine it, because he thought it was the third Hallow! Ignotus Peverell is buried in Godric's Hollow…" Harry was walking blindly around the tent, feeling as though great new vistas of truth were opening all around him. "He's my ancestor! I'm descended from the third brother! It all makes sense!"

Alicia grimaced.

"Great, that makes us distantly related to You-Know-Who." she mumbled, realising.

"Harry," said Hermione again, but he was busy undoing the pouch around his neck, his fingers shaking hard.

"Read it," he told her, pushing his mother's letter into her hand. "Read it! Dumbledore had the Cloak, Hermione! Why else would he want it? He didn't need a Cloak, he could perform a Disillusionment Charm so powerful that he made himself completely invisible without one!"

Something fell to the floor and rolled, glittering, under a chair: He had dislodged the Snitch when he pulled out the letter. He stooped to pick it up before suddenly, filled with shock and wonder, he shouted.

"IT'S IN HERE! He left me the ring — it's in the Snitch!"

"You — you reckon?" Ron looked taken aback and both Hermione and he looked at Alicia. She blinked at Harry. Even she had to admit there was no proof of the stone being in the snitch but that didn't mean it wasn't. If Dumbledore wanted to give it to Harry without anyone else getting in the way, the Snitch did make sense in that aspect. But that didn't mean it was true.

And then, suddenly, Harry's excitement, the hope and happiness he'd been feeling, was gone.

"That's what he's after."

The change in his voice made Ron and Hermione look even more scared.

"You-Know-Who's after the Elder Wand."

Alicia frowned.

Of course. An unbeatable wand. It didn't matter if you believed in the Hallows, the stories of unbeatable wands were everywhere regardless. Hallow or not, there were powerful wands out there and he wanted one. He needed it to beat Harry, who's wand had thawed every other option. He went to Ollivander, and he went to Gregorovitch. Someone had stolen it from Gregorovitch, but they hadn't been able to see what it was for it was too small and concealable. And that thief, they already knew, was Grindelwald.

Harry walked to the entrance of the tent, forgetting about Ron and Hermione as he looked out into the night, thinking…

It took him a few minutes but Harry turned back around. Alicia was looking at him from her seat and Hermione and Ron were still standing in the same place, Hermione still holding Lily's letter and Ron at her side looking slightly anxious.

"This is it," Harry said, trying to bring them inside the glow of his own astonished certainty. "This explains everything. The Deathly Hallows are real, and I've got one — maybe two —"

He held up the Snitch.

"— and You-Know-Who's chasing the third, but he doesn't realise… he just thinks it's a powerful wand —"

"Harry," said Hermione, moving across to him and handing him back Lily's letter, "I'm sorry, but I think you've got this wrong, all wrong."

"But don't you see? It all fits —"

"No, it doesn't," she said. "It _doesn_ _'t,_ Harry, you're just getting carried away. Please," she said as he started to speak, "please just answer me this: If the Deathly Hallows really existed, and Dumbledore knew about them, knew that the person who possessed all three of them would be master of Death — Harry, why wouldn't he have told you? Why?"

"But you said it, Hermione! You've got to find out about them for yourself! It's a Quest!"

"But I only said that to try and persuade you to come to the Lovegoods'!" cried Hermione in exasperation. "I didn't really believe it!"

"He was scared of them." Alicia whispered and everyone looked at her.

"What?" the three asked.

Alicia's forehead creased. "Dumbledore knew of the Hallows, possibly. He inked it into Hermione's book, but years ago, he signed his name with it to Grindelwald. Back before Grindelwald did anything. The two of them, they wanted dominion back then, what a perfect way to do that than to have the objects that mastered death."

"Alicia that doesn't tell—" Hermione began

"I'm not done." Alicia said standing. "Dumbledore met Grindelwald before Ariana's death, and her death is still a mystery. Despite this, Abeforth, according to Rita's book and several witnesses, blamed Dumbledore for Ariana's death and Grindelwald left straight after. It seems something went wrong, and maybe it was this obsession with the Hallows, with the power, that caused the argument and lead to Ariana's demise? If that happened, wouldn't that be enough to scare you into never telling another?" Alicia asked "Dumbledore always cherished how humble Harry and I were, we looked into a mirror of desire and saw our families, not power, and he never wanted to corrupt that. So why tell us of something that makes you powerful and masterful? Especially when Harry would desire it more than others?" she said pointing to him

"Why would Harry—" Ron began

"Because the Prophecy said only one of them can survive. What better way to survive than with the Hallows that master Death?" she asked cutting him off as well. "Hand someone that answer and tell them straight out… it'll make them crazy. Have them fight for realisation, and the outcome is completely different." Alicia said looking at Hermione. "If Dumbledore told us we needed the sword to destroy Horcruxes, we'd have broken into Hogwarts to get it and probably have ended up worse off than Godric's Hollow or the Lovegoods. Telling us things straight up, isn't always what's best." she believed

"You just made all that up?" Ron thought

"No i didn't." she said simply.

"There's nothing about Ariana being killed by her brothers." Hermione said strongly

"And yet, when Dumbledore took that potion that made him hallucinate, he was blaming himself for something and wanting to apologise. The second he saw that ring he forgot all about it being a Horcrux and he put it on in his haste to see his family again, and apologise by the sounds of it. That's how his hand got cursed." Alicia said "I think something went wrong with Ariana, and Dumbledore was turned off of the power because of it. I mean how many times was he offered the highest power, Minister of Magic, and turned it down? It scared him I bet."

Ron and Hermione stared at her while Harry looked at his snitch.

"Besides, it's not the main mission he gave us, it seems more like just an extra…" she mumbled and Harry nodded.

"Dumbledore usually let me find out stuff for myself. He let me try my strength, take risks. This feels like the kind of thing he'd do."

"Harry, this isn't a game, this isn't practice! This is the real thing, and Dumbledore left you very clear instructions: Find and destroy the Horcruxes! That symbol doesn't mean anything, forget the Deathly Hallows, we can't afford to get sidetracked —"

Harry however was simply turning the snitch over and over again in his hands as though expecting it to break open.

She appealed to Ron.

"You don't believe in this, do you?"

Harry looked up. Ron hesitated.

"I dunno… I mean… bits of it sort of fit together," said Ron awkwardly.

"Yeah the stone being in your Snitch is a wild guess." Alicia added to Harry and he looked annoyed. "Doesn't mean it's not true, but still." she said and turned back to Ron.

"When you look at the whole thing…" He took a deep breath. "I think we're supposed to get rid of Horcruxes, Harry. That's what Dumbledore told us to do. Maybe… maybe we should forget about this Hallows business."

"Thank you, Ron," said Hermione.

"Also, if we go hunting for Hallows, we'll run into him when we go for the wand, and it's not time yet." Alicia said to Harry. "You wanna go after the wand then feel free, but I suggest not doing so until the Horcruxes are gone. And if you're right about the stone in your snitch than that's the only Hallow left." Hermione let out a breath of relief.

"I'll take first watch." she decided

And she strode past Harry and sat down in the tent entrance, bringing the action to a fierce full stop.

"Alicia, if the wand is real, and He's after it, where would it be?" Harry wondered

"Well, we know Gregorovitch had it, and we know Grindelwald stole it from Gregorovitch…" Alicia said thinking before she stopped. She laughed and Hermione turned angrily. "Well, it's obvious." she realised. Harry looked at her waiting. "Dumbledore has it."

"What?" Ron asked

"Grindelwald was powerful all the way until the end when Dumbledore defeated him. No one could beat him, but Dumbledore managed it. If Grindelwald had the wand, and no one managed to beat him while he had it till Dumbledore did, than obviously it must have lain with Dumbledore." Alicia said chuckling.

"What happened to him being scared of them?" Hermione huffed

"Well…" Alicia thought "Dumbledore hated violence and gain over others…" she said thinking "The Elder Wand is followed by a bloody path in History… If Dumbledore had it, than that stopped the fighting for it. No more bloody path. And Dumbledore wasn't the type to boast was he? He took it, I bet less for himself, especially after everything, and more to protect others. If I was compelled to do what Dumbledore did, I'd do it for that."

Hermione turned away with no other words to say.

"So where would it be now?" Ron wondered "With Dumbledore gone I mean?"

"Snape." Harry said

"No, I don't think so." Alicia said instantly. "Remember the wand went flying off the astronomy tower and Snape definitely didn't have time to collect it before he ran off."

"But he's headmaster now." Ron said

"I doubt it wouldn't have been found before than, then there's the question of where it even is on the grounds if no one had." Alicia said obviously. _Besides, Snape killed Dumbledore because Dumbledore asked him too, doubtful that counts as winning the wand._ she believed. "It'll either be with Dumbledore, in Hogwarts or someone picked it up and it walking around with a wand that doesn't work for them properly, like how the Blackthorn wand doesn't work for Harry right." she shrugged.

No more was said about the Hallows that night and with Alicia taking the watch after Hermione, the three were silent. Alicia knew Harry wasn't asleep, his mind was buzzing too much, but the other two slept soundly, ignoring any thoughts or desires of the Hallows.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35:

They packed up the tent next morning and moved on through a dreary shower of rain. The downpour pursued them to the coast, where they pitched the tent that night, and persisted through the whole week, through sodden landscapes. Harry did not drops desire for the Deathly Hallows, and neither Hermione's disbelief, nor Ron's persistent doubts, could halt his thoughts. Despite this, the happiness he felt in first wanting the Hallows, Alicia felt, dampened as time moved on. He blamed this on Hermione and Ron's lack of belief and seemed to isolate himself slightly. His longing for the Hallows was not like their determination to get rid of the horcruxes. Harry however, didn't seem to see it as determination.

"Obsession?" said Hermione in a low fierce voice, when Harry was careless enough to use the word one evening, after Hermione had told him off for his lack of interest in locating more Horcruxes. "We're not the ones with an obsession, Harry! We're the ones trying to do what Dumbledore wanted us to do!"

But he seemed impervious to the veiled criticism.

"' _The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,_ _'_ " Harry quoted calmly, remembering the words on the grave of Lily and James Potter.

"I thought it was You-Know-Who we were supposed to be fighting?" Hermione retorted, and Harry gave up on her.

Even the mystery of the silver doe, which the other two insisted on discussing, seemed less important to Harry now, a vaguely interesting sideshow. Alicia had nothing to say here, she knew exactly what it was, but could say nothing. No one would believe her is she said Snape secretly left them the sword. No one would believe her if she said Snape's Patronus was a doe because he loved Lilly, who had a doe patronus to match her husband's stag. No one would believe her that Dumbledore asked Snape to kill him in order to save Draco's soul.

Well, perhaps they would believe parts of it, but without proof, it was not information that was to be lightly thrown around.

Harry's isolation seemed to continue and only Alicia knew why as he moved off by himself a lot and refused company by either of the other two. His scar had began to prickle again. He did well to hide it from Hermione and Ron and whenever he moved off, Hermione would complain about his obsession and his loss of sight to their mission.

"This is where your determination got us Hermione, sorry, but in a way, you caused this. He had no care for that symbol beforehand." Alicia reminded her.

As the weeks crept on, Harry absorbed in his new revelation, Ron seemed to be taking charge. Perhaps because he was determined to make up for having walked out on them, perhaps because Harry's descent into listlessness galvanised his dormant leadership qualities, Ron was the one now encouraging and exhorting the other two into action.

"Three Horcruxes left," he kept saying. "We need a plan of action, come on! Where haven't we looked? Let's go through it again. The orphanage…"

Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, the Riddle House, Borgin and Burkes, Albania, every place that they knew Tom Riddle had ever lived or worked, visited or murdered, Ron and Hermione raked over them again, Harry joining in only to stop Hermione pestering him. Alicia would sit listening and adding in her repeated opinion but that was as far as she went. She still believed Hogwarts held one, but that still left one with a hidden home.

Despite not knowing this last home, Ron insisted on journeying to ever more unlikely places simply, it seemed, to keep them moving.

"You never know," was Ron's constant refrain. "Upper Flagley is a Wizarding village, he might've wanted to live there. Let's go and have a poke around."

These frequent forays into Wizarding territory brought them within occasional sight of Snatchers.

"Some of them are supposed to be as bad as Death Eaters," said Ron. "The lot that got me were a bit pathetic, but Bill reckons some of them are really dangerous. They said on _Potterwatch_ —"

"On what?" said Harry.

" _Potterwatch,_ didn't I tell you that's what it was called? The program I keep trying to get on the radio, the only one that tells the truth about what's going on! Nearly all the programs are following You-Know-Who's line, all except _Potterwatch._ I really want you to hear it, but it's tricky tuning in…"

"Well feel free to shout at the ever silent mirror for the password." Alicia hissed. Fred had still been yet to contact them. Neither had George, or anyone else who could come into contact with it and Alicia had began leaving it in her bag out of anger, disappointment and frustration.

Ron spent evening after evening using his wand to beat out various rhythms on top of the wireless while the dials whirled. Occasionally they would catch snatches of advice on how to treat dragon pox, and once a few bars of "A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love." While he tapped, Ron continued to try to hit on the correct password, muttering strings of random words under his breath.

"They're normally something to do with the Order," he told them. "Bill had a real knack for guessing them. I'm bound to get one in the end…"

But not until March did luck favour Ron at last. Harry was sitting in the tent entrance, on guard duty, staring idly at a clump of grape hyacinths that had forced their way through the chilly ground, Alicia was in her seat playing with her mini Noel, which spent most of it's time flying absentmindedly around the tent, not a care in the world, or on her shoulder, when Ron shouted excitedly from inside the tent.

"I've got it, I've got it! Password was 'Albus'! Get in here, Harry!"

Harry hurried back inside the tent to find Ron and Hermione kneeling on the floor beside the little radio as Alicia listened from her chair, sitting upright and attentive. Hermione, who had been polishing the sword of Gryffindor just for something to do, was sitting open-mouthed, staring at the tiny speaker, from which a most familiar voice was issuing.

"… apologise for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which was due to a number of house calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters."

"But that's Lee Jordan!" said Hermione.

"I know!" beamed Ron. "Cool, eh?"

"Wow, remember George said they were helping Lee with something." Alicia remembered. It must've been the radio station.

"… now found ourselves another secure location," Lee was saying, "and I'm pleased to tell you that two of our regular contributors have joined me here this evening. Evening, boys!"

"Hi."

"Evening, River."

" 'River,' that's Lee," Ron explained. "They've all got code names, but you can usually tell —"

"Shh!" said Hermione.

"But before we hear from Royal and Romulus," Lee went on, "let's take a moment to report those deaths that the _Wizarding Wireless Network News_ and _Daily Prophet_ don't think important enough to mention. It is with great regret that we inform our listeners of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell."

Alicia's mouth dropped open and she felt sick. She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gazed at one another in horror.

"A goblin by the name of Gornuk was also killed. It is believed that Muggle-born Dean Thomas and a second goblin, both believed to have been traveling with Tonks, Cresswell, and Gornuk, may have escaped. If Dean is listening, or if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts, his parents and sisters are desperate for news.

"Meanwhile, in Gaddley, a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home. Muggle authorities are attributing the deaths to a gas leak, but members of the Order of the Phoenix inform me that it was the Killing Curse — more evidence, as if it were needed, of the fact that Muggle slaughter is becoming little more than a recreational sport under the new regime.

"Finally, we regret to inform our listeners that the remains of Bathilda Bagshot have been discovered in Godric's Hollow. The evidence is that she died several months ago. The Order of the Phoenix informs us that her body showed unmistakable signs of injuries inflicted by Dark Magic.

"Listeners, I'd like to invite you now to join us in a minute's silence in memory of Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, Bathilda Bagshot, Gornuk, and the unnamed, but no less regretted, Muggles murdered by the Death Eaters."

Silence fell, and Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione did not speak.

"Thank you," said Lee's voice. "And now we turn to regular contributor Royal, for an update on how the new Wizarding order is affecting the Muggle world."

"Thanks, River," said an unmistakable voice, deep, measured, reassuring.

"Kingsley!" burst out Ron.

"We know!" said Hermione, hushing him.

"Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties," said Kingsley. "However, we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of wizards and witches risking their own safety to protect Muggle friends and neighbours, often without the Muggles' knowledge. I'd like to appeal to all our listeners to emulate their example, perhaps by casting a protective charm over any Muggle dwellings in your street. Many lives could be saved if such simple measures are taken."

"And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be 'Wizards first'?" asked Lee.

"I'd say that it's one short step from 'Wizards first' to 'Purebloods first,' and then to 'Death Eaters,' " replied Kingsley. "We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."

"Excellently put, Royal, and you've got my vote for Minister of Magic if ever we get out of this mess," said Lee. "And now, over to Romulus for our popular feature 'Pals of Potter.' "

"Thanks, River," said another very familiar voice; Ron started to speak, but Hermione forestalled him in a whisper.

" _We know it_ _'_ _s Lupin_!"

"Romulus, do you maintain, as you have every time you've appeared on our program, that Harry Potter is still alive?"

"I do," said Lupin firmly. "His sister Alicia too. There is no doubt at all in my mind that either of their deaths would be proclaimed as widely as possible by the Death Eaters if it had happened, because it would strike a deadly blow at the morale of those resisting the new regime. 'The Boy Who Lived' remains a symbol of everything for which we are fighting: the triumph of good, the power of innocence, the need to keep resisting."

"And what would you say to Harry if you knew he was listening, Romulus?"

"I'd tell him we're all with him in spirit," said Lupin, then hesitated slightly. "And I'd tell him to follow his instincts, which are good and nearly always right. Not to mention abiding the advise of his brilliant sister, she knows best whether it favours her to say or not."

Harry looked at Hermione, whose eyes were full of tears.

"Nearly always right," she repeated.

"Well he went back to Tonks then." Alicia smiled pridefully

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" said Ron in surprise. "Bill told me Lupin's living with Tonks again! And apparently she's getting pretty big too…"

"… and our usual update on those friends of Harry Potter's who are suffering for their allegiance?" Lee was saying.

"Well, as regular listeners will know, several of the more outspoken supporters of Harry Potter have now been imprisoned, including Xenophilius Lovegood, erstwhile editor of _The Quibbler,_ " said Lupin.

"At least he's still alive!" muttered Ron.

"We have also heard within the last few hours that Rubeus Hagrid" — all four of them gasped, and so nearly missed the rest of the sentence — "well-known gamekeeper at Hogwarts School, has narrowly escaped arrest within the grounds of Hogwarts, where he is rumoured to have hosted a 'Support Harry Potter' party in his house. However, Hagrid was not taken into custody, and is, we believe, on the run."

"I suppose it helps, when escaping from Death Eaters, if you've got a sixteen-foot-high half brother?" asked Lee.

"It would tend to give you an edge," agreed Lupin gravely. "May I just add that while we here at _Potterwatch_ applaud Hagrid's spirit, we would urge even the most devoted of Harry's supporters against following Hagrid's lead. 'Support Harry Potter' parties are unwise in the present climate."

"Indeed they are, Romulus," said Lee, "so we suggest that you continue to show your devotion to the man with the lightning scar by listening to _Potterwatch_! And now let's move to news concerning the wizard who is proving just as elusive as Harry Potter. We like to refer to him as the Chief Death Eater, and here to give his views on some of the more insane rumours circulating about him, I'd like to introduce a new correspondent: Rodent."

"' _Rodent_ '?" said yet another familiar voice, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione cried out together:

"Fred!"

The three all looked at Alicia. She looked shocked and then her lips pursed together and her expression panned out.

Alicia went through a wave of emotions in that small space of time. Relief, he was alright, he was alive, and clearly still doing everything he could to be a kick in the Death Eaters' side. Then it went to sadness. If he was fine why hadn't he contacted her, or answered her calls when she asked for him? Why was he ignoring her still? The Mirrors were untraceable, he could use them safely. The last emotion was anger, absolute fury almost. How dare he ignore her and not let her know he was fine! She had been trying to hard to do the same and yet he was spending time one radio stations and ignoring her existence.

"No — is it George?"

"It's Fred, I think," said Ron, leaning in closer, as whichever twin it was said, "I'm not being 'Rodent,' no way, I told you I wanted to be 'Rapier'!"

"Oh, all right then. 'Rapier,' could you please give us your take on the various stories we've been hearing about the Chief Death Eater?"

The four looked at Alicia again, she had a knack for always telling the two apart, better than their own mother it seemed sometimes.

"Fred." she said simply as she glared down at the radio box like she wanted to smash it to pieces.

The three turned away from her looking worried and almost frightened of her.

"Yes, River, I can," said Fred, continuing. "As our listeners will know, unless they've taken refuge at the bottom of a garden pond or somewhere similar, You-Know-Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice little climate of panic. Mind you, if all the alleged sightings of him are genuine, we must have a good nineteen You-Know-Whos running around the place."

"Which suits him, of course," said Kingsley. "The air of mystery is creating more terror than actually showing himself."

"Agreed," said Fred. "So, people, let's try and calm down a bit. Things are bad enough without inventing stuff as well. For instance, this new idea that You-Know-Who can kill with a single glance from his eyes. That's a _basilisk,_ listeners. One simple test: Check whether the thing that's glaring at you has got legs. If it has, it's safe to look into its eyes, although if it really is You-Know-Who, that's still likely to be the last thing you ever do."

For the first time in weeks and weeks, Harry was laughing. Despite how funny the boy was however, Alicia didn't even crack a smile. Hermione and Ron instantly shuffled slightly further away from her.

"And the rumours that he keeps being sighted abroad?" asked Lee.

"Well, who wouldn't want a nice little holiday after all the hard work he's been putting in?" asked Fred. "Point is, people, don't get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking he's out of the country. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but the fact remains he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to, so don't count on him being a long way away if you're planning on taking any risks. I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but safety first!"

"Thank you very much for those wise words, Rapier, any last ones to add?" said Lee.

"As a matter of fact I do, I hope Harry is safe, and to keep fighting. And to a single young lady who I hope wont be tempted to kill me when she hears this, if she hears this, but sorry love, it broke."

"IT WHAT!?" Alicia was on her feet and glaring down at the radio as she shouted all throughout the tent.

"Well I hope your girl hears the message and understands, but Rapier, if I remember correctly, you're in for a world of hurt." Lee added and Harry was the only one brave enough to chuckle as Alicia looked livid.

"Listeners, that brings us to the end of another _Potterwatch._ We don't know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we shall be back. Keep twiddling those dials: The next password will be 'Mad-Eye.' Keep each other safe: Keep faith. Good night."

The radio's dial twirled and the lights behind the tuning panel went out. Hermione, Harry and Ron were absolutely pleased to hear familiar voices, none of them turned to Alicia as she had her fists balled up.

"Good, eh?" said Ron happily.

"Brilliant," said Harry.

"It's so brave of them," sighed Hermione admiringly. "If they were found…"

"Well, they keep on the move, don't they?" said Ron. "Like us."

"But did you hear what Fred said?" asked Harry excitedly; now the broadcast was over, his thoughts turned again toward his all-consuming obsession. "He's abroad! He's still looking for the Wand, I knew it!"

"Harry —"

"Come on, Hermione, why are you so determined not to admit it? Vol —"

"HARRY, NO!"

"— demort's after the Elder Wand!"

"What the hell Harry!" Alicia shrieked her wand in her hand and beginning to point it around the tent, muttering under breath.

"The name's Taboo!" Ron bellowed, leaping to his feet as a loud crack sounded outside the tent. "I told you, Harry, I told you, we can't say it anymore — we've got to put the protection back around us — quickly — it's how they find —"

But Ron stopped talking, the Sneakoscope on the table had lit up and begun to spin; they could hear voices coming nearer and nearer: rough, excited voices. Ron pulled the Deluminator out of his pocket and clicked it: Their lamps went out.

"Come out of there with your hands up!" came a rasping voice through the darkness. "We know you're in there! You've got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don't care who we curse!"


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36:

Alicia moved first, instantly, around tent, she huddled things into her bag and then pointed her wand into it. She tapped the bag itself after a moment while Harry turned to Hermione and Ron, now mere outlines in the darkness. Hermione pointed her wand at Harry as Alicia tapped herself several times. She tapped her bag and it suddenly shrunk immensely. She opened the tiny clasped, dropped her wand inside with a shove, and tucked the bag away just as there was a bang.

Alicia looked up at the burst of light and found Harry's silhouette on the floor. Suddenly the tent was filled and she was grabbed by several hands before being yanked and pulled outside. Someone began to pat her down roughly, they went through all her pockets and didn't find anything on her worth taking. Harry was pulled off the floor and in the light of the outside she could see his face was all swollen and puffy and his eyes were hardly visible. His glasses fell off as he was moved and Ron and Hermione were shoved out after Alicia.

"Get — off — her!" Ron shouted. There was the unmistakable sound of knuckles hitting flesh: Ron grunted in pain and Hermione screamed, "No! Leave him alone, leave him alone!"

"Your boyfriend's going to have worse than that done to him if he's on my list," said the horribly familiar, rasping voice. Alicia looked up and she froze. A face covered in matted grey hair and whiskers, with pointed brown teeth and sores at the corners of his mouth. Before her was Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf who was permitted to wear Death Eater robes in return for his hired savagery.

"Delicious girl… What a treat… I do enjoy the softness of the skin…"

"Search the tent!" said another voice.

Harry was thrown face down to the ground and Ron was too beside him. Alicia's had her hand behind her back and a set of fingers clutching at her hair while she remained still. Hermione was being clutched just as tightly to prevent any escaping.

They could hear footsteps and crashes; the men were pushing over chairs inside the tent as they searched.

"Now, let's see who we've got," said Greyback's gloating voice from overhead, and Harry was rolled over onto his back. A beam of wandlight fell into his face and Greyback laughed.

"I'll be needing butterbeer to wash this one down. What happened to you, ugly?"

Harry did not answer immediately.

"I _said,_ " repeated Greyback, and Harry received a blow to the diaphragm that made him double over in pain, "what happened to you?"

"Stung," Harry muttered. "Been stung."

"Yeah, looks like it," said a second voice.

"What's your name?" snarled Greyback.

"Dudley," said Harry.

"And your first name?"

"I — Vernon. Vernon Dudley."

"Check the list, Scabior," said Greyback, and Harry heard him move sideways to look down at Ron, instead. "And what about you, ginger?"

"Stan Shunpike," said Ron.

"Like 'ell you are," said the man called Scabior. "We know Stan Shunpike, 'e's put a bit of work our way."

There was another thud and Ron was kicked in the mouth.

"I'b Bardy," said Ron, and his mouth was filled with blood. "Bardy Weadley."

"A Weasley?" rasped Greyback. "So you're related to blood traitors even if you're not a Mudblood. And you two, darling." Greyback stood before Alicia and she looked back at him. Greyback smelled as he had done at the top of the tower where Dumbledore had died: of dirt, sweat, and blood.

"Lavender Brown." she responded simply.

"Easy check, and, lastly, your pretty little friend…" His voice was full of relish.

"Easy, Greyback," said Scabior over the jeering of the others.

"Oh, I'm not going to bite just yet. We'll see if she's a bit quicker at remembering her name than Barny. Who are you, girly?"

"Penelope Clearwater," said Hermione. She sounded terrified, but convincing.

"What's your blood status?"

"Half-blood," said Hermione.

"Easy enough to check," said Scabior. "But the 'ole lot of 'em look like they could still be 'ogwarts age —"

"We'b lebt," said Ron.

"Left, 'ave you, ginger?" said Scabior. "And you decided to go camping? And you thought, just for a laugh, you'd use the Dark Lord's name?"

"Nod a laugh," said Ron. "Aggiden."

"Accident?" There was more jeering laughter.

"You know who used to like using the Dark Lord's name, Weasley?" growled Greyback. "The Order of the Phoenix. Mean anything to you?"

"Doh."

"Well, they don't show the Dark Lord proper respect, so the name's been Tabooed. A few Order members have been tracked that way. We'll see. Bind them up with the other two prisoners!"

Alicia's hair was yanked and she gasped slightly from the pain as the other three had done the same. She was forced down to a sitting position and Harry was tied to one side of her, Ron on his other and Hermione beside him. Alicia turned to look and looked surprised, Dean sat beside her and so was a Goblin she recognised as Griphook. When at last the man tying them had walked away she turned to him.

"Dean." she whispered surprised and he looked at her confused. She chuckled, she'd transfigured her face. "It's us, we literally just heard on _Potterwatch_ you were still running."

"Alicia!?" he asked surprised and she shushed him. Harry whispered next from beside her.

"Anyone still got a wand?"

"No," said Ron and Hermione from either side of him.

"Yes." Alicia said and they all looked at her. "I'm not stupid."

"Get us out of here." Ron said

"I can't, I can't get to it with my hands bound." she confessed before glaring at Harry. She knew he could feel her.

"This is all my fault. I said the name, I'm sorry —"

Dean noticed Harry's voice.

"Harry?"

" _Dean_?"

"It _is_ you! If they find out who they've got—! They're Snatchers, they're only looking for truants to sell for gold —"

"Not a bad little haul for one night," Greyback was saying, as his pair of hobnailed boots marched close by Harry. There were more crashes from inside the tent. "A Mudblood, a runaway goblin, and three truants. You checked their names on the list yet, Scabior?" he roared.

"Yeah. There's no Vernon Dudley on 'ere, Greyback."

"Interesting," said Greyback. "That's interesting."

He crouched down beside Harry and Alicia turned her face away from his smell.

"So you aren't wanted, then, Vernon? Or are you on that list under a different name? What House were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Slytherin," said Harry automatically.

"Funny 'ow they all thinks we wants to 'ear that," jeered Scabior out of the shadows. "But none of 'em can tell us where the common room is."

"It's in the dungeons," said Harry clearly and Alicia internally thanked themselves for having forced their way in in their second year. Well the boys had. "You enter through the wall. It's full of skulls and stuff and it's under the lake, so the light's all green."

There was a short pause.

"Well, well, looks like we really 'ave caught a little Slytherin," said Scabior. "Good for you, Vernon, 'cause there ain't a lot of Mudblood Slytherins. Who's your father?"

"He works at the Ministry," Harry lied. Alicia knew this wasn't too good. One slight poke for information and his story was over. "Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes."

"You know what, Greyback," said Scabior. "I think there _is_ a Dudley in there."

"Well, well," said Greyback, and there was the tiniest note of trepidation in that callous voice as Greyback wondered whether he had indeed just attacked and bound the son of a Ministry official.

"If you're telling the truth, ugly, you've got nothing to fear from a trip to the Ministry. I expect your father'll reward us just for picking you up."

"But," said Harry, "if you just let us —"

"Hey!" came a shout from inside the tent. "Look at this, Greyback!"

A dark figure came bustling toward them, and there was a glint of silver in the light of their wands. They had found Gryffindor's sword.

Alicia mentally cursed herself, she hadn't picked it up! She hadn't hidden it with other things that'd been lying around the tent. Now they were likely to loose their tent, their only shelter and the weapon they needed the most!

"Ve-e-ry nice," said Greyback appreciatively, taking it from his companion. "Oh, very nice indeed. Looks goblin-made, that. Where did you get something like this?"

"It's my father's," Harry lied, Alicia knew that lie was gone the second the name under the hilt was read. Perhaps it was too dark for now. "We borrowed it to cut firewood —"

" 'ang on a minute, Greyback! Look at this, in the _Prophet_!"

Alicia felt her scar burn and turned to Harry beside her.

"'' _ermione Granger,_ _'_ " Scabior was saying, " _'_ _the Mudblood who is known to be traveling with_ _'_ _arry and Alicia_ _Potter.'_ "

Alicia felt her heart stop. Greyback moved to crouch down in front of Hermione.

"You know what, little girly? This picture looks a hell of a lot like you."

"It isn't! It isn't me!"

Hermione's terrified squeak was as good as a confession and Alicia's eyes closed.

" '… _known to be traveling with Harry Potter,_ ' " repeated Greyback quietly.

A stillness had settled over the scene.

"Well, this changes things, doesn't it?" whispered Greyback. Nobody spoke: the gang of Snatchers watched, frozen, and Hermione was trembling. Greyback got up and took a couple of steps to where Harry sat, crouching down again to stare closely at his misshapen features.

"What's that on your forehead, Vernon?" he asked softly, his breath foul in Harry's nostrils as he pressed a filthy finger to the taut scar.

"Don't touch it!" Harry yelled; he could not stop himself; he thought he might be sick from the pain of it. Alicia turned to him, even if the scars were searing he'd just given it all away!

"I thought you wore glasses, Potter?" breathed Greyback.

"I found glasses!" yelped one of the Snatchers skulking in the background. "There was glasses in the tent, Greyback, wait —"

And seconds later Harry's glasses had been rammed back onto his face. The Snatchers were closing in now, peering at him.

"It is!" rasped Greyback. "We've caught Potter!"

Greyback turned to Alicia.

"Well, that'll make you his lovely sister."

"Do I look anything like him?" she asked

"Slight transfiguration can change that."

"Like we had time?" Alicia said back. The other Snatchers had stepped back and were staring stunned.

"I think it's my lucky day. The two famous Potters, found at last." Greyback said as he stood Alicia simply scoffed in disagreement. She was the best at keeping her head in these situations.

"Should we take them to the Ministry?"

"To hell with the Ministry," growled Greyback. "They'll take the credit, and we won't get a look in. I say we take him straight to You-Know-Who."

"Will you summon 'im? _'ere_?" said Scabior, sounding awed, terrified.

"No," snarled Greyback, "I haven't got—" Alicia rose an eyebrow. He didn't have the mark. "They say he's using the Malfoys' place as a base. We'll take the boy there."

Greyback was not calling Voldemort for the single reason of he couldn't. The werewolf might be allowed to wear Death Eater robes when they wanted to use him, but only Voldemort's inner circle were branded with the Dark Mark: Greyback had not been granted this highest honour.

"You completely sure it's him? 'Cause if it ain't, Greyback, we're dead."

"Who's in charge here?" roared Greyback, covering his moment of inadequacy. "I say that's Potter, and him plus his wand, that's two hundred thousand Galleons right there! Not to mention his sister! But if you're too gutless to come along, any of you, it's all for me, and with any luck, I'll get the girl thrown in!"

"All right!" said Scabior. "All right, we're in! And what about the rest of 'em, Greyback, what'll we do with 'em?"

"Might as well take the lot. We've got two Mudbloods, that's another ten Galleons. Give me the sword as well. If they're rubies, that's another small fortune right there."

The prisoners were dragged to their feet. Hermione's breathing could be heard, fast and terrified.

"Grab hold and make it tight. I'll do the Potters!" said Greyback, seizing a fistful of Harry's hair and his gross, yellow nails jabbing Alicia's arm. "On three! One — two — three —"

They Disapparated, pulling the prisoners with them.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

Harry was struggling from beside Alicia but it was pointless, they were all still tied together and not going anywhere. Her scar seared again but she was able to ignore it.

The prisoners lurched into one another as they landed in a country lane. Before them was a pair of wrought-iron ages at the foot of a long drive. At least, Alicia knew, Voldemort was not here, he was still looking for the wand, still searching and so they still had time.

What did worry her though, was the likeliness of who was in that house.

One of the Snatchers strode to the gates and shook them.

"How do we get in? They're locked, Greyback, I can't — blimey!"

He whipped his hands away in fright. The iron was contorting, twisting itself out of the abstract furls and coils into a frightening face, which spoke in a clanging, echoing voice: "State your purpose!"

"We've got Potter!" Greyback roared triumphantly. "We've captured Harry Potter!"

The gates swung open.

"Come on!" said Greyback to his men, and the prisoners were shunted through the gates and up the drive, between high hedges that muffled their footsteps. They were forced to walk oddly, tied together with the others and forced down the lane at odd angles. They pulled on another and stumbled slightly but Greyback continued to pull Harry forwards. They were forced down the lane and then to a house, more of a manor, across the gravel to the front steps.

Light spilled out over all of them and Narcissa Malfoy stood at the doorway.

"What is this?" said a woman's cold voice.

"We're here to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!" rasped Greyback.

"Who are you?"

"You know me!" There was resentment in the werewolf's voice. "Fenrir Greyback! We've caught Harry Potter!"

Greyback seized Harry and dragged him around to face the light, forcing the other prisoners to shuffle around too.

"I know 'e's swollen, ma'am, but it's 'im!" piped up Scabior. "If you look a bit closer, you'll see 'is scar. And this 'ere, see the girl? The Mudblood who's been traveling around with 'im, ma'am. And his twin sister!" Alicia was yanked slightly "There's no doubt it's 'im, and we've got 'is wand as well! 'Ere, ma'am —" Narcissa Malfoy leaned closer to Harry and scrutinised Harry's swollen face.

Scabior thrust the blackthorn wand at her. She raised her eyebrows.

"Bring them in," she said.

Alicia, Harry and the others were shoved and kicked up broad stone steps into a hallway lined with portraits.

"Follow me," said Narcissa, leading the way across the hall. "My son, Draco, is home for his Easter holidays. If that is Harry Potter, he will know." Alicia felt annoyed, all someone had to do was wave a wand at her and her transfiguration would be over and they'd know it was Harry whether his face was swollen or not. She was a dead giveaway.

The drawing room dazzled after the darkness outside. The room held very wide proportions and crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, more portraits were against the dark purple walls and looking down on the occupants. Two figures sat in chairs in front of an ornate marble fireplace as the prisoners were forced into the room by the Snatchers. One of them rose from his seat as they approached.

This was Lucius Malfoy. The other was his son, Lucius in miniature, Draco.

"What is this?"

"They say they've got Potter," said Narcissa's cold voice. "Draco, come here."

Draco slowly rose from his arm chair, he was slightly taller than Harry with his face pale and pointed beneath white-blond hair.

Greyback forced the prisoners to turn again so as to place Harry directly beneath the chandelier.

"Well, boy?" rasped the werewolf.

Alicia wondered if Malfoy could tell it was Harry. After all, thanks to their camping Harry's hair was to his shoulders and Hermione's stinging jinx had made his face huge, shiny and pink. Every feature was distorted. The only familiarity was his glasses shoved onto his face.

"Well, Draco?" said Lucius Malfoy. He sounded avid. "Is it? Is it Harry Potter?"

"I can't — I can't be sure," said Draco. He was keeping his distance from Greyback, and seemed as scared of looking at Harry. Alicia watched him and he looked at her slightly, her green eyes blazing back.

"But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!"

Harry had never heard Lucius Malfoy so excited.

"Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv —"

"Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr. Malfoy?" said Greyback menacingly.

"Of course not, of course not!" said Lucius impatiently. He approached Harry himself, his nose might as well have touched Harry's puffy one.

"What did you do to him?" Lucius asked Greyback. "How did he get into this state?"

"That wasn't us."

"Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me," said Lucius.

His grey eyes raked Harry's forehead.

"There's something there," he whispered, "it could be the scar, stretched tight… Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?"

Draco moved closer and unlike his father who was excited, Draco showed reluctance and fear.

"I don't know," he said, and he walked away toward the fireplace where his mother stood watching.

"We had better be certain, Lucius," Narcissa called to her husband in her cold, clear voice. "Completely sure that it is Potter, before we summon the Dark Lord… They say this is his" — she was looking closely at the blackthorn wand — "but it does not resemble Ollivander's description… If we are mistaken, if we call the Dark Lord here for nothing… Remember what he did to Rowle and Dolohov?"

Alicia smirked ever so slightly.

"What about the Mudblood, then?" growled Greyback. Alicia was nearly thrown off her feet as the Snatchers forced the prisoners to swivel around again, so that the light fell on Hermione instead.

"Wait," said Narcissa sharply. "Yes — yes, she was in Madam Malkin's with Potter! I saw her picture in the _Prophet_! Look, Draco, isn't it the Granger girl?"

"I… maybe… yeah."

"But then, that's the Weasley boy!" shouted Lucius, striding around the bound prisoners to face Ron. "It's them, Potter's friends — Draco, look at him, isn't it Arthur Weasley's son, what's his name — ?"

"Yeah," said Draco again, his back to the prisoners. "It could be."

"What about the sister?" Narcissa asked and she moved to Alicia. Her hair was blonde and falling over her shoulders, her chin was pointier, and her face covered in freckles.

The drawing room door opened behind Harry and Alicia. A woman spoke, and the sound of the voice made Alicia hate everything about this house. It was the voice she feared most to be here.

"What is this? What's happened, Cissy?"

Bellatrix Lestrange walked slowly around the prisoners, and stopped on Harry's right, staring at Hermione through her heavily lidded eyes.

"But surely," she said quietly, "this is the Mudblood girl? This is Granger?"

"Yes, yes, it's Granger!" cried Lucius. "And beside her, we think, Potter! Potter and his friends, caught at last!"

"Potter?" shrieked Bellatrix, and she backed away, the better to take in Harry. "Are you sure? What about the sister?" Bellatrix looked over the prisoners and her eyes set on Alicia.

Narcissa did the obvious thing and wove her wand over Alicia. The blonde hair Alicia saw turned black and she felt an odd sensation in her face as well. She pursed her lips angrily.

"Well well, like his double." Bellatrix grinned at her. "Trying to hide? Save him?" she said in a baby voice. Alicia glared at her.

"Well, the Dark Lord must be informed at once!"

She dragged back her left sleeve: the Dark Mark sat there, burned into the flesh of her arm, and she was about to touch it, to summon her beloved master —

"I was about to call him!" said Lucius, and his hand actually closed upon Bellatrix's wrist, preventing her from touching the Mark. " _I_ shall summon him, Bella, Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority —"

"Your authority!" she sneered, attempting to wrench her hand from his grasp. "You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!"

"This is nothing to do with you, you did not capture the boy —"

"Begging your pardon, _Mr._ Malfoy," interjected Greyback, "but it's us that caught Potter, and it's us that'll be claiming the gold —"

"Gold!" laughed Bellatrix, still attempting to throw off her brother-in-law, her free hand groping in her pocket for her wand. "Take your gold, filthy scavenger, what do I want with gold? I seek only the honour of his — of —"

She stopped struggling, her dark eyes fixed upon something else. Jubilant at her capitulation, Lucius threw her hand from him and ripped up his own sleeve —

"STOP!" shrieked Bellatrix. "Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!"

Lucius froze, his index finger hovering over his own Mark. Bellatrix strode off and Alicia turned to see her approach the snatcher who had the sword in his hands.

"What is that?" she asked

"Sword," grunted the Snatcher.

"Give it to me."

"It's not yorn, missus, it's mine, I reckon I found it."

There was a bang and a flash of red light as the Snatcher had been Stunned. There was a roar of anger from his fellows: Scabior drew his wand.

"What d'you think you're playing at, woman?"

" _Stupefy_!" she screamed. " _Stupefy_!"

They were no match for her, even though there were four of them

against one of her: She was a witch, with prodigious skill and no conscience. They fell where they stood, all except Greyback, who had been forced into a kneeling position, his arms outstretched. Bellatrix beard down upon the werewolf, the sword of Gryffindor gripped tightly in her hand, her face waxen.

"Where did you get this sword?" she whispered to Greyback as she pulled his wand out of his unresisting grip.

"How dare you?" he snarled, his mouth the only thing that could move as he was forced to gaze up at her. He bared his pointed teeth. "Release me, woman!"

"Where did you find this sword?" she repeated, brandishing it in his face. "Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"

Alicia looked up surprised. The Fake went to Bellatrix's vault?

 _Hang on,_ What did that have to do with Voldemort? Why would he care whether the sword was in the vault or not? What did that matter?

"It was in their tent," rasped Greyback. "Release me, I say!"

She waved her wand, and the werewolf sprang to his feet, but appeared too wary to approach her. He prowled behind an armchair, his filthy curved nails clutching its back.

"Draco, move this scum outside," said Bellatrix, indicating the unconscious men. "If you haven't got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me."

"Don't you dare speak to Draco like —" said Narcissa furiously, but Bellatrix screamed,

"Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem!"

Alicia rose an eyebrow as Bellatrix stood panting slightly, looking down at the sword, examining its hilt. Then she turned to look at the silent prisoners.

"If it is indeed Potter, he must not be harmed," she muttered, more to herself than to the others. "The Dark Lord wishes to dispose of Potter himself… But if he finds out… I must… I must know…"

 _Know? Know what?_ Alicia wondered. What was so bad about being in Bellatrix's vault? She did not care if something was stolen of her's, no, she was scared of Voldemort… had he given her something to hide like Snape had?

Alicia's eyes watched Bellatrix carefully.

She turned back to her sister again.

"The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do!"

"This is my house, Bella, you don't give orders in my —"

"Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!" shrieked Bellatrix. She looked frightening, mad; a thin stream of fire issued from her wand and burned a hole in the carpet.

Narcissa hesitated for a moment, then addressed the werewolf.

"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback."

"Wait," said Bellatrix sharply. "All except … except for Miss Potter. Her I can harm how I like."

Alicia stared at her. "Just as much a leader, but free game." she whispered to the girl's face. Harry started struggling.

"No!" but Harry was ignored.

She threw Greyback's wand back to him, then took a short silver knife from under her robes. She cut Alicia free from the other prisoners, then dragged her by the hair into the middle of the room.

Greyback forced the rest of them to shuffle across to another door and from the room.

Bellatrix turned to Alicia instantly.

"Where did you get this sword?" she demanded

"It was at the bottom of a frozen Pool. In the Forest of Dean." Bellatrix' hand flourished and Alicia couldn't help the scream that escaped her, she honestly hadn't expected that. Bellatrix had grabbed Alicia's arm and swung her knife. Red hot pain shot through the girl.

"This sword was in my vault!" Bellatrix said over Alicia's scream. Alicia took a gasp, ignoring the pain. Before she could do much else she was shoved by Bellatrix and throw to the floor with a thump. Bellatrix leaned over the top of her. Alicia grit her teeth at more pain before she couldn't help but scream again. No the Cruciatus Curse was worse.

 _Alicia!_ Harry's voice sounded. Alicia ignored him as Bellatrix stopped.

"I'm going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?"

"We found it!" Alicia said back but Bellatrix flashed the knife again. Tears streamed down Alicia's face but she refused to give the satisfaction of screaming again.

"You are lying, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, _tell the truth_!"

More pain.

"There's a fake!" she shouted and Belltrix turned to her. "Someone made a fake sword identical to the real one!" she said to Bellatrix.

"You're lying! You think that'll work on me!"

"How else could we have one?!" Alicia shouted back.

"What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!"

"What'll that gain!?" Alicia demanded "I told the truth! The Sword of Gryffindor presents itself to a worthy Gryffindor in a time of need! It doesn't matter where it is it can get out! It's one of it's magical properties!"

Bellatrix was now hacking at her waist but Alicia refused to scream.

"You're prideful Bellatrix!" she shouted instead of screaming. "The sword came to Hogwarts when Harry killed the basilisk! It did the same again!"

"You took it from my vault! What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! _CRUCIO_!"

Alicia clamped her mouth shut and she writhed on the floor from the curse.

"Why would I steal anything from your vault!" Alicia responded when the spell lifted and she breathed heavily. "And how can anyone break into Gringotts! Let along four children!"

The Cruciatus curse was put on her again.

"How did you get into my vault?" Bellatrix screamed. "Did that dirty little goblin in the cellar help you?"

"We only met him tonight! He was tied up with Dean! Your stupid werewolf can tell you that!" she was gasping and her entire body ached. But she'd argue as far as she had to. She wasn't giving in to the wicked heavy-lidded eyed women before her. She could torture the girl and that would be it.

"I've never seen your vault! I don't know why you're so frightened right now! But I told you there's a copy of the sword!"

"A likely story!"

"But we can find out easily!" came Lucius's voice. "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"

Bellatrix left Alicia as Draco moved off down the stairs.

 _Alicia…_

 _Yeah._ she answered her brother

 _Are you—_

 _I'll live._ Alicia glanced at her arm out beside her, bleeding. _If I don't bleed out._

 _I'll never understand your sass in such a situation._ Harry's voice responded.

Within a few moments Draco was back, marching Griphook the goblin over towards Bellatrix.

Bellatrix seemed frustrated and Alicia was hit with the curse again. Not expecting it her scream echoed over the walls.

 _Dobby's here!_

 _Then work fast!_ Alicia responded as she whimpered when the spell lifted. _Please._

A sudden noise echoed from downstairs. It sounded similar to a crack, something Alicia had heard so many times.

The sound of an elf apparating.

"What was that?" shouted Lucius Malfoy. Just as Alicia had Lucius heard the noise of an elf disapparating as well. Alicia lay still staring at the ceiling. Her head was spinning slightly and everything hurt. She just wanted to sleep. "Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?"

"Draco — no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!"

There were footsteps and a door sounding before that was it.

Wormtail's mouth sounded before it was muffled and everyone turned.

"What is it, Wormtail?" called Lucius Malfoy from above.

"Nothing!" Alicia recognised Ron's voice, even if it was a passable imitation of Wormtail's wheezy voice. "All fine!"

Griphook was forced to Bellatrix's feet and given the Sword of Gryffindor. Alicia watched him, unmovingly, but she could see through Harry as well, and he was now watching her. They'd escaped the cellar. Thanks to Dobby.

"Well?" Bellatrix said to Griphook. "Is it the true sword?"

Griphook glanced at Alicia and she stared back, praying.

 _Don't tell them._

"No," said Griphook. "It is a fake."

"Are you sure?" panted Bellatrix. "Quite sure?"

"Yes," said the goblin.

Relief broke across her face, all tension drained from it.

"Good," she said, and with a casual flick of her wand she slashedanother deep cut into the goblin's face, and he dropped with a yell at her feet. She kicked him aside. "And now," she said in a voice that burst with triumph, "we call the Dark Lord!"

And she pushed back her sleeve and touched her forefinger to the Dark Mark.

Alicia gasped as her scar felt like it had split open.

"He will not care for a worthless lump. Greyback, you can dispose of the Potter girl." Bellatrix said. "You can likely have the Mudblood too."

" _Expelliarmus_!" Harry and Ron had burst into the drawing room and Bellatrix looked around shocked. She turned her wand on Harry but it went flying from her hand by Ron who'd shouted and had somehow gained a wand.

Harry caught Bellatrix's wand as Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, and Greyback wheeled about. Hermione was with them but she dived out of sight as she was still wandless. Harry yelled, " _Stupefy_!" and Lucius Malfoy collapsed onto the hearth. Jets of light flew from Draco's, Narcissa's, and Greyback's wands; Harry threw himself to the floor, rolling behind a sofa to avoid them.

Alicia gasped as she was pulled from her place on the floor and Bellatrix had her in a tight grip, something cold was pushed to her throat.

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Harry peaked out from behind the sofa.

"Drop your wands," she whispered. "Drop them, or I'll slit her throat!"

Alicia however had moved her hand as she looked at Bellatrix from the corner of her eye.

Ron stood rigid, clutching Wormtail's wand. Harry straightened up, still holding Bellatrix's. Hermione starred at Alicia terrified.

"You better let me go Bellatrix." Alicia whispered, her voice slightly hoarse. Bellatrix gripped her tighter.

"I said, drop them!" she screeched, pressing the blade into Alicia's throat. The girl winced and Harry saw beads of blood appear there.

"All right!" he shouted, and he dropped Bellatrix's wand onto the floor at his feet. Ron did the same with Wormtail's. Both raised their hands to shoulder height.

"Good!" she leered. "Draco, pick them up! The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches!"

Alicia had moved her hand and it was in her pocket as she took a breath and closed her eyes in concentration.

"Now," said Bellatrix softly, as Draco hurried back to her with the wands, "Cissy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood. I am sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge you the girl, Greyback, after what you have done tonight."

"In your dreams." Alicia said. Her hand moved from her pocket and behind her while the other grabbed Bellatrix's hand holding the knife at her throat. Bellatrix went flying backwards as Alicia had her wand in her hand. She then pointed it quickly at Greyback while Harry raced at Draco.

Lucius and Narcissa went to move but there was a a peculiar grinding noise from above. All of them looked upward in time to see the crystal chandelier tremble; then, with a creak and an ominous jingling, it began to fall.

Alicia dived sideways out from under the chandelier which fell onto the goblin who was under it, he was still clutching the sword of Gryffindor. Glittering shards of crystal flew in all directions: Draco doubled over, his hands covering his bloody face.

Hermione and Ron caught Alicia as she stumbled, the sudden movements she'd made caused her head to spin. She felt drained and empty. Hermione took her wand and disarmed Narcissa while Harry leapt over an armchair and wrested the three wands from Draco's grip, pointed all of them at Greyback, and yelled, " _Stupefy_!" The werewolf was lifted off his feet by the triple spell, flew up to the ceiling, and then smashed to the ground.

As Narcissa dragged Draco out of the way of further harm, Bellatrix sprang to her feet, her hair flying as she brandished the silver knife. Narcissa however had noticed another creature in the room.

"Dobby!" she screamed, and even Bellatrix froze. "You! _You_ dropped the chandelier — ?"

The tiny elf trotted into the room, his shaking finger pointing at his old mistress.

"You must not hurt Harry Potter," he squeaked.

"You dirty little monkey!" bawled Bellatrix. "How dare you defy your masters?"

"Dobby has no master!" squealed the elf. "Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"

Alicia could feel the pain in her scar as Hermione held her close and upright.

"Ron, catch — and GO!" Harry yelled, throwing one of the wands to him; then he bent down to tug Griphook out from under the chandelier. Hoisting the groaning goblin, who still clung to the sword, over one shoulder, Harry seized Dobby's hand and spun on the spot to Disapparate. Hermione and Ron both grabbed Alicia and did the same and Alicia felt herself being pulling into the darkness. Her last view of the drawing room had the pale, frozen figures of Narcissa and Draco, and a blur of flying silver, as Bellatrix's knife flew across the room at the place where Harry was vanishing —

She didn't know where they were going but she gripped onto Hermione and Ron tightly, hoping they'd soon reach somewhere safe.

Finally they hit solid earth and the air smelled of the salt of the ocean. Alicia was held by Hermione and Ron but that was all that held her up as she gasped and her legs gave way.

"Alicia!" Hermione gasped.

She felt the two of them grab her and she was being pulled away from the salty air. She barely registered the house she was pulled into or the words of worry that came with a french accent.

 _A french accent?_

And it hit her. They were at Bill and Fleur's. They were with known people, with friends, with family. That simply truth made her realise that she was okay, that she was where it was safe.

But is she was safe, than why did she feel as though she was back beside Dumbledore's body at Hogwarts? Why did she feel despair and sadness and grief? Why was she so filled with the feeling of being in a nightmare, if they were safe?

She didn't feel her lips move but she did, just, hear the word she spoke.

"Dobby."


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38:

Alicia slept until the sun began to slowly creep over the horizon. Se awoke to find her scars were somewhat healed but she felt weak and shaky still. Fleur was at her bed side.

"'ow do you feel?" she asked

"Tired." she responded "Thank you Fleur." and the silver haired girl nodded. "Where's Harry?"

"'e's outside." she frowned and Alicia looked at her.

"What happened?"

"The elf," Fleur said as she stroked Alicia's forehead and Alicia looked at her before her eyes welled up.

Dobby… he was…

"How?"

"A knife, made it through." Fleur whispered.

"Harry?"

"'e is digging the grave." she said and Alicia took a breath. At that moment the door opened and Hermione walked in.

"Alicia…" she whispered looking sad and worried.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Alicia whispered and the girl nodded.

"Nothing compared to you."

"Rather me than you." Alicia said and Hermione rolled her eyes in a Hermioneish way before Alicia realised she had a bowl in her hands.

"You need to eat something, try and get some strength back." Alicia nodded. The two women helped Alicia to sit up before Hermione gave her the bowl. It took her a while to get used to her arm, it was the left, luckily, that Bellatrix had hacked into the most and therefore her right was available to raise the spoon and consume the soup. It was glorious to have a nice meal such as this, it had been a long time.

"I saw Bellatrix throw her knife." Alicia whispered and Hermione nodded.

"Harry's been digging the grave. Ron and Dean went out to help."

"Did everyone else get out alright?" Alicia asked and Hermione nodded again.

"You, Ollivander and Griphook are the most worse for wear."

"I guess that's good. Will they be alright?" she turned to Fleur.

"Eventually, though Mr Ollivander is very weak." Alicia nodded.

"He's been imprisoned for more than a year, he'll take a while." and the two girls nodded as Hermione went to the window.

"It looks like they're almost finished." she whispered

"Hermione will you help me, I want to go down." Alicia admitted.

Hermione wanted to refuse but Alicia's stubbornness wore out. Hermione was given a coat by Fleur and Alicia a dressing gown to ensure she didn't get cold and worse. Hermione then helped her down the stairs and out into the garden. The boys had dressed Dobby in Harry's coat, Ron's shoes and socks and Dean was handing over a woollen hat which Harry put on the elf's head. Bill, Luna and Fleur had joined Hermione and Alicia at the grave's edge. Alicia was surprised to see Luna, but guessed she'd been imprisoned at the Malfoys.

"We should close his eyes." Luna spoke and Harry turned to them.

Bill was wearing a traveling cloak, Fleur a large white apron, from the pocket of which protruded a bottle of Skele-Gro and Luna was in another of Fleur's coats like Hermione. Alicia moved and kneeled beside Harry who instantly gripped her in a hug, even through his grief for Dobby, and she patted his back before leaning her head on Harry's shoulder. Dobby lay before them, his large tennis ball eyes staring at and reflecting the stars above him, which were slowly fading in the morning light.

Luna crouched down and placed her fingers tenderly upon each of the elf's eyelids, sliding them over his glassy stare.

"There," she said softly. "Now he could be sleeping."

Alicia couldn't help but say, "Remember when we saw those eyes in a hedge? Wasn't that a weird development." Harry cracked the tiniest of smile before Alicia removed her weight from him.

Harry placed the elf into the grave, arranged his tiny limbs so that he might have been resting, then climbed out and gazed for the last time upon the little body. Alicia took his hand as she felt his grief beginning to overwhelm him. And she agreed with his thoughts, Dobby deserved just a grand a funeral as Dumbledore had, with the Minister of Magic and a Marble tomb and thousands of lined chairs.

"I think we ought to say something," piped up Luna. "I'll go first, shall I?"

And as everybody looked at her, she addressed the dead elf at the bottom of the grave.

"Thank you so much, Dobby, for rescuing me from that cellar. It's so unfair that you had to die, when you were so good and brave. I'll always remember what you did for us. I hope you're happy now."

She turned and looked expectantly at Ron, who cleared his throat and said in a thick voice, "Yeah… thanks, Dobby."

"Thanks," muttered Dean.

Harry swallowed.

"Good-bye, Dobby," he said.

"Thank you Dobby." Alicia whispered "You helped us more times than we can count. Harry survived the Triwizard Tournament thanks to you, we were able to survive Umbridge for you gave us a way to practice defensive magic, you told us mishappenings within the school last year, and you saved us yet again this year. I don't know how we'd make it without you." Alicia's voice hardly rose, she was both mentally and physically unable to speak much louder, but in the silent morning, everyone had heard her. "We will always remember you."

Bill raised his wand, and the pile of earth beside the grave rose up into the air and fell neatly upon it, a small, reddish mound.

"D'you mind if I stay here a moment?" Harry asked the others.

Everyone murmured replies and Alicia was the only one who didn't move, a few pat him on the back before they moved back to the cottage. Harry said nothing about Alicia's lack of movement, likely unsurprised. He himself however looked around and began to reach for a large white stone. He laid it, pillowlike, over the place where Dobby's head now rested. He then felt in his pocket for a wand. He pulled out two. He had taken one extra from the Malfoy Manor. He selected one, and pointed it at the rock. Murmuring under his breath Harry carved deep cuts into the rocks surface.

When Harry stood up again, the stone read:

HERE LIES DOBBY, A FREE ELF.

Harry then turned to Alicia and helped her to her feet. He placed an arm around her and helped her move away from the grave.

"Harry, did you notice?" she asked quietly

"Notice?"

"Bellatrix."

"About us getting into her vault."

"She was terrified at the thought of him finding out we'd gotten in there. Snape gave her something to hide, I think _he_ might have too." Harry nodded beside her.

"A horcrux."

"With her fear it's definitely something valuable. And what many valuables does he have?" she wondered quietly. But a memory came to her.

" _Obviously he visited Diagon Alley to get things but, where would you hide something there?"_

" _Hagrid always said Gringotts was the safest beside Hogwarts." Harry said_

" _Yes but I doubt Tom Riddle had a bank account. He was an orphan and Hogwarts had funding set up for such students remember, it was in the memory of Dumbledore's when he first met Tom."_

" _What about a follower?" Ron said_

" _He doesn't like to rely on them like that, and after Lucius and the diary…" Alicia mumbled frowning "I dunno. And there are so many followers, which vault would we choose? It could be in Snape's vault, or Yaxley's, or Bellatrix's… until we have some sort of hard evidence and a destination we can't really run into Diagon Alley and into Gringotts on a guess. And especially when it's just a guess because Gringotts is a safe place." the two boys sighed as Alicia looked back at her pensieve._

She chuckled.

"We considered Gringotts briefly, remember? Right after we left the Ministry." Harry rose an eyebrow at how she remembered that. "That's so ironic." she whispered. But she had had a point, they now had a solid idea of a horcrux and which vault. They now had a destination.

"We can't go anywhere until you're better."

"I'll be fine in no time." she said

"I heard your responses, you couldn't stop being you could you?"

"Nope." he hugged his sister closer to him, ever so thankful she was still here and was now safe and out of harms way. "I sorry if you felt it all as well by the way."

"I'll live." he responded.

They were all sitting in the living room when the two entered the little hall, their attention focused upon Bill, who was talking. The room was light-coloured, pretty, with a small fire of driftwood burning brightly in the fireplace. Harry was halted for a moment as he debated over moving inside. He didn't want mud on the carpet but Alicia needed to sit. As it happened Hermione, who had spotted them, came to help the girl into a chair. Harry stayed in the doorway listening.

"… lucky that Ginny's on holiday. If she'd been at Hogwarts, they could have taken her before we reached her. Now we know she's safe too."

"What?" Alicia asked softly. She hadn't gained her voice back completely after her screams and shouts at Bellatrix.

He looked at her and then around to see Harry standing there.

"I've been getting them all out of the Burrow," he explained. "Moved them to Muriel's. The Death Eaters know Ron's with you now, they're bound to target the family — don't apologise," he added at the sight of Harry's expression. "It was always a matter of time, Dad's been saying so for months. We're the biggest blood-traitor family there is."

"How are they protected?" asked Harry.

"Fidelius Charm. Dad's Secret-Keeper. And we've done it on this cottage too; I'm Secret-Keeper here. None of us can go to work, but that's hardly the most important thing now. Once Ollivander and Griphook are well enough, we'll move them to Muriel's too. There isn't much room here, but she's got plenty. Griphook's legs are on the mend, Fleur's given him Skele-Gro; we could probably move them in an hour or —"

"No," Harry said, and Bill looked startled. He looked at Alicia, but even in her weakened state there was the same look of importance on her face as was on Harry's. "I need both of them here. I need to talk to them. It's important."

There was authority in Harry's voice, conviction, a sense of purpose. All of their faces were turned toward him, looking puzzled.

"I'm going to wash," Harry told Bill, looking down at his hands, still covered in mud and Dobby's blood. "Then I'll need to see them, straightaway." and he moved to the little kitchen.

"What's he talking about?" Ron asked

"Don't worry." Alicia said "I'll explain later. But we really need them, Ollivander needs to check the wands we took first of all, they may not be all that safe." she admitted

"What have you three been doing? Coming here in this mess?" Bill demanded

"Bill—"

"It's nothing." Alicia said "Harry accidentally said You-Know-Who's name and some snatches found us, we tried to disguise Harry but they worked out who we were and took us to the Malfoys. If not for Dobby we wouldn't he here." she said "Rather simple." she admitted

"You look like you've been tortured Alicia."

"Well, we all know what Bellatrix is like." she mumbled

"Well where have you been?" he asked next.

"Camping. Staying out of sight." she said

"All this time? You've just been hiding?"

"Pretty much. Only venturing out when we have to." Alicia said. Hermione and Ron let her do the talking. "I can't give you more than that Bill." she admitted

"Why not?"

"Because it's imperative no one knows what we're up to. We can't succeed if people know." she confessed "You're going to have to trust us."

Bill sighed. "I feel like I need Fred to get through to you." he said.

Ron and Hermione looked at Alicia worried and Bill looked surprised as her face darkened.

"Please do, then I can kill him." Bill blinked. "Make sure you tell him I got his message and he's in so much trouble."

Bill sighed, he seemed to understand. "Don't be too hard on him." she simply turned her nose away.

"Come on Alicia, we'd better get you upstairs." Hermione said and he helped the girl to her feet and then up the stairs.

As she got Alicia up, Bill and Fleur stood at the bottom of the stairs as Harry left the kitchen.

"I need to speak to Griphook and Ollivander," Harry said.

"No," said Fleur. "You will 'ave to wait, 'Arry. Zey are both ill, tired —"

"I'm sorry," he said without heat, "but it can't wait. I need to talk to them now. Privately — and separately. It's urgent."

"Harry, what the hell's going on?" asked Bill. "You turn up here with a dead house-elf and a half-conscious goblin, Alicia says she's been tortured, and Ron's just refused to tell me anything —"

"We can't tell you what we're doing," said Harry flatly. "You're in the Order, Bill, you know Dumbledore left us a mission. We're not supposed to talk about it to anyone else."

Fleur made an impatient noise, but Bill did not look at her; he was staring at Harry. Finally Bill said, "All right. Who do you want to talk to first?"

Harry hesitated. He glanced at his sister who was standing in the doorway of the sitting room, Ron and Hermione hiding behind her.

"Griphook." she said and he looked at her face. He nodded in agreement.

"Griphook," Harry said. "I'll speak to Griphook first."

"Up here, then," said Bill, leading the way.

Harry had walked up several steps before stopping and looking back. Alicia moved to follow, though she moved slower than usual and Harry moved back to help her.

"I need you two as well!" he called to Ron and Hermione, who hadn't moved from where they were skulking, half concealed, in the doorway of the sitting room.

They both moved into the light, looking oddly relieved.

"What are we doing now, Harry?" Ron asked.

"You'll see. Come on."

Harry, Alicia Ron, and Hermione followed Bill up the steep stairs onto a small landing. Three doors led off it.

"In here," said Bill, opening the door into his and Fleur's room. It too had a view of the sea, now flecked with gold in the sunrise. Harry moved to the window, releasing Alicia so she could take a seat on the chair beside the dressing table. Hermione sat on the arm beside her and Ron remained standing as Harry moved to the window and turned his back on it.

Bill reappeared, carrying the little goblin, whom he set down carefully upon the bed. Griphook grunted thanks, and Bill left, closing the door upon them all.

"I'm sorry to take you out of bed," said Harry. "How are your legs?"

"Painful," replied the goblin. "But mending."

He was still clutching the sword of Gryffindor, and wore a strange look: half truculent, half intrigued. The goblin had sallow skin, long thin fingers and black eyes. Fleur had removed his shoes: His long feet were dirty. He was larger than a house-elf, but not by much. His domed head was much bigger than a human's.

"You probably don't remember —" Harry began.

"— that I was the goblin who showed you and Alicia to your vaults, the first time you ever visited Gringotts?" said Griphook. "I remember, Harry Potter. Even amongst goblins, you are very famous."

Alicia and Harry shared a look as the Goblin glanced at the two also.

The goblin broke the silence as Harry was debating over his words carefully.

"You buried the elf," he said, sounding unexpectedly rancorous. "I watched you from the window of the bedroom next door."

"Yes," said Harry.

Griphook looked at him out of the corners of his slanting black eyes.

"You are an unusual wizard, Harry Potter."

"In what way?" asked Harry, rubbing his scar absently.

"You dug the grave."

"So?"

Griphook did not answer. Dobby's grave however was not the object of this talk and Alicia mentally nudged Harry with this fact.

"Griphook, I need to ask —"

"You also rescued a goblin."

"What?"

"You brought me here. Saved me."

"Well, I take it you're not sorry?" said Harry a little impatiently.

"No, Harry Potter," said Griphook, and with one finger he twisted the thin black beard upon his chin, "but you are a very odd wizard."

"Right," said Harry. "Well, I need some help, Griphook, and you can give it to me."

The goblin made no sign of encouragement, but continued to frown at Harry as though he had never seen anything like him.

"I need to break into a Gringotts vault."

The words had forced themselves out of Harry's mouth and Alicia sighed.

"Way to be tactful." she said.

Ron and Hermione were staring at Harry as though he had gone mad.

"Harry —" said Hermione, but she was cut off by Griphook.

"Break into a Gringotts vault?" repeated the goblin, wincing a little as he shifted his position upon the bed. "It is impossible."

"No, it isn't," Ron contradicted him. "It's been done."

"Yeah," said Harry. "The same day I first met you, Griphook. My birthday, seven years ago."

"The vault in question was empty at the time," snapped the goblin. Even though Griphook had left Gringotts, he was offended at the idea of its defences being breached. "Its protection was minimal."

"That doesn't make it easier to get into." Alicia believed "It's still Gringotts regardless and the person got in and back out again. By themselves no less."

"Well, the vault we need to get into isn't empty, and I'm guessing its protection will be pretty powerful," said Harry. "It belongs to the Lestranges."

He saw Hermione and Ron look at each other, astonished.

"You have no chance," said Griphook flatly. "No chance at all. _If you seek beneath our floors, a treasure that was never yours—_ "

" _Thief, you have been warned, beware—_ "

" _Of find more than treasure there._ " Alicia finished

"Yeah, I know, I remember," Harry said "But I'm not trying to get myself any treasure, I'm not trying to take anything for personal gain. Can you believe that?"

The goblin looked slantwise at Harry as Alicia felt the scar on her neck prickle. She ignored it as Harry did.

"If there was a wizard of whom I would believe that they did not seek personal gain," said Griphook finally, "it would be you, Harry Potter. Goblins and elves are not used to the protection or the respect that you have shown this night. Not from wand-carriers."

"They deserve respect just as much as witches and wizards show one another." Alicia said "None of us could have left you there in that place, especially with what was coming. You would not have survived."

"Wand-carriers," repeated Harry

"The right to carry a wand," said the goblin quietly, "has long been contested between wizards and goblins."

"Well, goblins can do magic without wands," said Ron.

"That is immaterial! Wizards refuse to share the secrets of wandlore with other magical beings, they deny us the possibility of extending our powers!"

"Well, goblins won't share any of their magic either," said Ron. "You won't tell us how to make swords and armour the way you do. Goblins know how to work metal in a way wizards have never —"

"It doesn't matter," said Harry, noting Griphook's rising colour as Alicia shot Ron an annoyed look. "This isn't about wizards versus goblins or any other sort of magical creature —"

Griphook gave a nasty laugh.

"But it is, it is about precisely that! As the Dark Lord becomes ever more powerful, your race is set still more firmly above mine! Gringotts falls under Wizarding rule, house-elves are slaughtered, and who amongst the wand-carriers protests?"

"We do!" said Hermione. She had sat up straight, her eyes bright. "We protest! And I'm hunted quite as much as any goblin or elf, Griphook! I'm a Mudblood!"

"Don't call yourself —" Ron muttered.

"Why shouldn't I?" said Hermione. "Mudblood, and proud of it! I've got no higher position under this new order than you have, Griphook! And Alicia, a half-blood, a proud wizard, was tortured by the Malfoys, just because of her name." Girphook looked at Alicia and she held his gaze. "Did you know that it was Harry who set Dobby free?" she asked. "Did you know that we've wanted elves to be freed for years?" Ron fidget uncomfortably from beside Hermione. "You can't want You-Know-Who defeated more than we do, Griphook!"

The goblin gazed at Hermione with the same curiosity he had shown Harry.

"What do you seek within the Lestranges' vault?" he asked abruptly. "The sword that lies inside it is a fake. This is the real one." He looked from one to the other of them. "I think that you already know this. You asked me to lie for you back there."

"But the fake sword isn't the only thing in that vault, is it?" asked Harry. "Perhaps you've seen the other things in there?"

The goblin twisted his beard around his finger again.

"It is against our code to speak of the secrets of Gringotts. We are the guardians of fabulous treasures. We have a duty to the objects placed in our care, which were, so often, wrought by our fingers."

"That's alright." Alicia said as the goblin stroked the sword, and his black eyes roved from Harry to Alicia to Hermione to Ron and then back again. "We don't want you to break that. We just need to end this war, and to do that, we need a look into the Lestranges vault." she explained. He stared at her in the same manor.

"So young," he said finally, "to be fighting so many."

"Will you help us?" said Harry. "We haven't got a hope of breaking in without a goblin's help. You're our one chance."

"I shall… think about it," said Griphook maddeningly.

"But —" Ron started angrily; Hermione nudged him in the ribs.

"Thank you," said Harry.

"That's all we can ask." Alicia nodded.

The goblin bowed his great domed head in acknowledgement, then flexed his short legs.

"I think," he said, settling himself ostentatiously upon Bill and Fleur's bed, "that the Skele-Gro has finished its work. I may be able to sleep at last. Forgive me…"

"Yeah, of course," said Harry, but before leaving the room he leaned forward and took the sword of Gryffindor from beside the goblin. Griphook did not protest, but there seemed a look resentment in the goblin's eyes as Harry closed the door upon him.

"Little git," whispered Ron. "He's enjoying keeping us hanging."

"Harry," whispered Hermione, pulling them both away from the door, into the middle of the still-dark landing as Alicia leaned on the wall, "are you saying what I think you're saying? Are you saying there's a Horcrux in the Lestranges' vault?"

"Yes," chorused the twins. "Bellatrix was terrified when she thought we'd been in there, she was beside herself. Why? What did she think we'd seen, what else did she think we might have taken? Something she was petrified You-Know-Who would find out about."

"It was nothing to do with her or her treasure. Snape hid something there, it must be so well protected, them being such an old family, that You-Know-Who did it too. She is probably one of his most trusted servants too." Alicia believed.

"But I thought we were looking for places You-Know-Who's been, places he's done something important?" said Ron, looking baffled.

"He could break from that pattern." Alicia shrugged "Especially if he has no other hiding place."

"Well was he ever inside the Lestranges' vault?" Ron asked

"I don't know whether he was ever inside Gringotts," said Harry. "He never had gold there when he was younger, because nobody left him anything. He would have seen the bank from the outside, though, the first time he ever went to Diagon Alley."

"And he loved valuable things. Gringotts has that atmosphere." Alicia added

"I think he would have envied anyone who had a key to a Gringotts vault. I think he'd have seen it as a real symbol of belonging to the Wizarding world. And don't forget, he trusted Bellatrix and her husband. Like Alicia said, they were his most devoted servants before he fell, and they went looking for him after he vanished. He said it the night he came back, I heard him."

Harry rubbed his scar.

"I don't think he'd have told Bellatrix it was a Horcrux, though. He never told Lucius Malfoy the truth about the diary. He probably told her it was a treasured possession and asked her to place it in her vault. The safest place in the world for anything you want to hide, Hagrid told me… except for Hogwarts."

When Harry had finished speaking, Ron shook his head.

"You really understand him." Alicia rolled her lips. It's hard not to when you have a piece of their soul in you.

"Bits of him," said Harry. "Bits… I just wish I'd understood Dumbledore as much. But we'll see. Come on — Ollivander now."

Ron and Hermione looked bewildered but impressed as they followed him and Alicia across the little landing and knocked upon the door opposite Bill and Fleur's. A weak "Come in!" answered them.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39:

The wandmaker was lying on the twin bed farthest from the window. He had been held in the cellar for more than a year, and tortured on at least one occasion that Harry had seen. He was emaciated, the bones of his face sticking out sharply against the yellowish skin. His great silver eyes seemed vast in their sunken sockets. The hands that lay upon the blanket could have belonged to a skeleton. Harry sat down on the empty bed followed by Alicia, Ron and Hermione. The rising sun was not visible here. The room faced the cliff-top garden and the freshly dug grave.

"Mr. Ollivander, I'm sorry to disturb you," Harry said.

"My dear boy." Ollivander's voice was feeble. "You rescued us. I thought we would die in that place. I can never thank you… _never_ thank you… enough."

"We were glad to do it."

"You've been there long enough Mr Ollivander." Alicia promised. Her scar throbbed again and she and Harry shared a look. Harry moved to his pouch around his neck and pulled out his broken wand.

"Mr. Ollivander, I need some help."

"Anything. Anything," said the wandmaker weakly.

"Can you mend this? Is it possible?"

Ollivander held out a trembling hand, and Harry placed the two barely connected halves into his palm.

"Holly and phoenix feather," said Ollivander in a tremulous voice. "Eleven inches. Nice and supple."

"Yes," said Harry. "Can you — ?"

"No," whispered Ollivander. "I am sorry, very sorry, but a wand that has suffered this degree of damage cannot be repaired by any means that I know of."

Alicia placed a hand on Harry's arm, it would have been a blow even if he expected it.

Harry took back the two haves and replaced them into his pouch. He then took two wands from his pocket, stolen from the Malfoys.

"Can you identify these?" Harry asked.

The wandmaker took the first of the wands and held it close to his faded eyes, rolling it between his knobble-knuckled fingers, flexing it slightly.

"Walnut and dragon heartstring," he said. "Twelve-and-three-quarter inches. Unyielding. This wand belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange."

"And this one?"

Ollivander performed the same examination.

"Hawthorn and unicorn hair. Ten inches precisely. Reasonably springy. This was the wand of Draco Malfoy."

"Was?" repeated Harry. "Isn't it still his?"

"Perhaps not. If you took it —"

"— I did —"

"— then it may be yours. Of course, the manner of taking matters. Much also depends upon the wand itself. In general, however, where a wand has been won, its allegiance will change."

There was silence in the room, except for the distant rushing of the sea.

"You talk about wands like they've got feelings," said Harry, "like they can think for themselves."

"The wand chooses the wizard," said Ollivander. "That much has always been clear to those of us who have studied wandlore."

"A person can still use a wand that hasn't chosen them, though?" asked Harry.

"Oh yes, if you are any wizard at all you will be able to channel your magic through almost any instrument. The best results, however, must always come where there is the strongest affinity between wizard and wand. These connections are complex. An initial attraction, and then a mutual quest for experience, the wand learning from the wizard, the wizard from the wand."

The sea gushed forward and backward; it was a mournful sound.

"I took this wand from Draco Malfoy by force," said Harry. "Can I use it safely?"

"I think so. Subtle laws govern wand ownership, but the conquered wand will usually bend its will to its new master."

"So I should use this one?" said Ron, pulling Wormtail's wand out of his pocket and handing it to Ollivander.

"Chestnut and dragon heartstring. Nine-and-a-quarter inches. Brittle. I was forced to make this shortly after my kidnapping, for Peter Pettigrew. Yes, if you won it, it is more likely to do your bidding, and do it well, than another wand."

"And this holds true for all wands, does it?" asked Harry.

"I think so," replied Ollivander, his protuberant eyes upon Harry's face. "You ask deep questions, Mr. Potter. Wandlore is a complex and mysterious branch of magic."

"So, it isn't necessary to kill the previous owner to take true possession of a wand?" asked Harry.

Ollivander swallowed.

"Necessary? No, I should not say that it is necessary to kill."

"There are legends, though," said Harry. "Legends about a wand — or wands — that have passed from hand to hand by murder."

Ollivander turned pale. Against the snowy pillow he was light grey, and his eyes were enormous, bloodshot, and bulging with what looked like fear.

"Only one wand, I think," he whispered.

"And You-Know-Who is interested in it, isn't he?" asked Harry.

"I — how?" croaked Ollivander, and he looked appealingly at Alicia, Ron and Hermione for help. "How do you know this?"

"He wanted you to tell him how to overcome the connection between our wands," said Harry.

Ollivander looked terrified.

"He tortured me, you must understand that! The Cruciatus Curse, I — I had no choice but to tell him what I knew, what I guessed!"

"It's alright." Alicia said soothingly. "We're not accusing, or blaming or pointing a finger Mr Ollivander. You had no choice." she assured and he looked at her soft face before he nodded.

"I understand," said Harry. "You told him about the twin cores? You said he just had to borrow another wizard's wand?"

Ollivander looked horrified, transfixed, by the amount that Harry knew. He nodded slowly.

"But it didn't work," Harry went on. "Mine still beat the borrowed wand. Do you know why that is?"

Ollivander shook his head as slowly as he had just nodded.

"I had… never heard of such a thing. Your wand performed something unique that night. The connection of the twin cores is incredibly rare, yet why your wand should have snapped the borrowed wand, I do not know…"

"We were talking about the other wand, the wand that changes hands by murder. When You-Know-Who realised my wand had done something strange, he came back and asked about that other wand, didn't he?"

"How do you know this?"

Harry did not answer.

"Yes, he asked," whispered Ollivander. "He wanted to know everything I could tell him about the wand variously known as the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny, or the Elder Wand."

Harry glanced sideways at Hermione. She looked flabbergasted.

"The Dark Lord," said Ollivander in hushed and frightened tones, "had always been happy with the wand I made him — yew and phoenix feather, thirteen-and-a-half inches — until he discovered the connection of the twin cores. Now he seeks another, more powerful wand, as the only way to conquer yours."

"But he'll know soon, if he doesn't already, that mine's broken beyond repair," said Harry quietly.

"No!" said Hermione, sounding frightened. "He can't know that, Harry, how could he — ?"

"Priori Incantatem," said Harry. "We left your wand and the blackthorn wand at the Malfoys', Hermione. If they examine them properly, make them re-create the spells they've cast lately, they'll see that yours broke mine, they'll see that you tried and failed to mend it, and they'll realise that I've been using the blackthorn one ever since."

The colour she had in her face drained. Ron gave Harry a reproachful look, and said, "Let's not worry about that now —"

But Mr. Ollivander intervened.

"The Dark Lord no longer seeks the Elder Wand only for your destruction, Mr. Potter. He is determined to possess it because he believes it will make him truly invulnerable."

"And will it?"

"The owner of the Elder Wand must always fear attack," said Ollivander, "but the idea of the Dark Lord in possession of the Deathstick is, I must admit… formidable."

"You — you really think this wand exists, then, Mr. Ollivander?" asked Hermione.

"Oh yes," said Ollivander. "Yes, it is perfectly possible to trace the wand's course through history. There are gaps, of course, and long ones, where it vanishes from view, temporarily lost or hidden; but always it resurfaces. It has certain identifying characteristics that those who are learned in wandlore recognise. There are written accounts, some of them obscure, that I and other wandmakers have made it our business to study. They have the ring of authenticity."

"So you — you don't think it can be a fairy tale or a myth?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"No," said Ollivander. "Whether it _needs_ to pass by murder, I do not know. Its history is bloody, but that may be simply due to the fact that it is such a desirable object, and arouses such passions in wizards. Immensely powerful, dangerous in the wrong hands, and an object of incredible fascination to all of us who study the power of wands."

"Mr. Ollivander," said Harry, "you told You-Know-Who that Gregorovitch had the Elder Wand, didn't you?"

Ollivander turned, if possible, even paler. He looked ghostly as he gulped.

"But how — how do you — ?"

"Never mind how I know it," said Harry, closing his eyes momentarily and Alicia felt her scar burn, she glanced at Harry and nudged him slightly. He opened his eyes again. "You told You-Know-Who that Gregorovitch had the wand?"

"It was a rumour," whispered Ollivander. "A rumour, years and years ago, long before you were born! I believe Gregorovitch himself started it. You can see how good it would be for business: that he was studying and duplicating the qualities of the Elder Wand!"

"Yes, I can see that," said Harry. He stood up. "Mr. Ollivander, one last thing, and then we'll let you get some rest. What do you know about the Deathly Hallows?"

"The — the what?" asked the wandmaker, looking utterly bewildered.

"The Deathly Hallows."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. Is this still something to do with wands?"

Harry looked into the sunken face and Alicia stood.

"It was just a question for curiosity." she said as she believed that Ollivander was not acting. He did not know about the Hallows.

"Thank you," said Harry in agreement with his sister. "Thank you very much. We'll leave you to get some rest now."

Ollivander looked stricken.

"He was torturing me!" he gasped. "The Cruciatus Curse… you have no idea…"

"I do," said Harry. "I really do. Please get some rest. Thank you for telling me all of this."

"We do not blame you Mr Ollivander, what more could you have done?" Alicia asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Rest now, you more than deserve it."

Harry placed an arm around Alicia's shoulders and the two led Ron and Hermione down the staircase. Bill, Fleur, Luna, and Dean sitting at the table in the kitchen, cups of tea in front of them. They all looked up at Harry as he appeared in the doorway, but he merely nodded to them and continued into the garden, leading Alicia as Ron and Hermione followed behind him.

The reddish mound of earth that covered Dobby lay ahead, and Harry walked back to it. Alicia felt her scar burning more so, but she found it easy to ignore.

"Gregorovitch had the Elder Wand a long time ago," he said. "I saw You-Know-Who trying to find him. When he tracked him down, he found that Gregorovitch didn't have it anymore: It was stolen from him by Grindelwald. How Grindelwald found out that Gregorovitch had it, I don't know — but if Gregorovitch was stupid enough to spread the rumour, it can't have been that difficult."

"And Grindelwald used the Elder Wand to become powerful. Alicia was right. At the height of his power, when Dumbledore knew he was the only one who could stop him, he duelled Grindelwald and beat him, and he took the Elder Wand."

Ron looked at Alicia who smiled slightly.

"Dumbledorehad the Elder Wand…" said Ron. "But then — where is it now?"

"At Hogwarts," said Harry.

"But then, let's go!" said Ron urgently. "Harry, let's go and get it before he does!"

"It's too late for that," said Harry. He could not help himself, but clutched his head, trying to help it resist. "He knows where it is. He's there now." Alicia placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping he'd continue to push Voldemort away.

"Harry!" Ron said furiously. "How long have you known this — why have we been wasting time? Why did you talk to Griphook first? We could have gone — we could still go —"

"No," said Harry, and he sank to his knees in the grass and Alicia kneeled aside him, her hand on his shoulder and back incase he hobbled over. "Hermione's right. Dumbledore didn't want me to have it. He didn't want me to take it. He wanted me to get the Horcruxes."

"The unbeatable wand, Harry!" moaned Ron.

"I'm not supposed to… I'm supposed to get the Horcruxes…"

And his eyes closed. Hermione and Ron looked worried.

"He's at Hogwarts…" Alicia turned to them. "I'm sure someone would have found Dumbledore's wand. I bet if anyone goes to the tomb tomorrow, or later today, they'll find it split open and the wand gone."

"How do we beat him is he has the Elder Wand?" Ron demanded.

Alicia didn't answer. First of all, Harry had to die. Or at least be shot with the curse, what happened after that was still a guess and unknown.

But second, the wand didn't belong to Voldemort, so it wouldn't work for him properly. What was more, even if Voldemort worked out that Snape had killed Dumbledore and Voldemort did something about that so that he could own the wand, the Elder Wand never belonged to Snape either. For one, Dumbledore didn't even have his wand in his hand when he died, and two, Snape didn't kill for gain, he killed because he was asked to. It was a favour. A promise. The wand wasn't Snape's, it wasn't Voldemort's. Whether Voldemort had the wand or not, it was not truly his, and therefore, it would not truely work for him.

With that in mind, the wand was not really all that formidable as it should have been.

They could still win.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

Bill and Fleur's cottage stood alone on a cliff overlooking the sea, its walls embedded with shells and whitewashed. It was a lonely and beautiful place. Harry spent a lot of time outside, making excuses to leave the cottage, really he didn't need one, they all knew how he felt about Dobby, he was given permission to grieve after all.

Alicia was the only one who knew that he was scared by his decision not to race after Voldemort. He had not yet come to the conclusion she had that the wand would not properly work for him, and he was doubting himself, more so as Ron could not help voicing his opinion to the decision every time the boys were together.

"What if Dumbledore wanted us to work out the symbol in time to get the wand?" "What if working out what the symbol meant made you 'worthy' to get the Hallows?" "Harry, if that really is the Elder Wand, how the hell are we supposed to finish off You-Know-Who?"

Harry had no answers and Alicia gave no answers, not that she was asked any of these questions. Ron seemed to just question her about Harry's decisions instead.

Hermione and Alicia both supported Harry's decision, but this didn't seem to help him. Hermione of course, now forced to accept the Elder wants existence real, had taken to declaring it an evil object. She believed how Voldemort had taken it was repellent, and not an option to be considered.

"You could never have done that, Harry," she said again and again. "You couldn't have broken into Dumbledore's grave."

Of course this was much less frightening a prospect than Voldemort with the Elder Wand. And the idea that Harry may have made the wrong decision and misinterpreted Dumbledore's wishes, angered Harry.

"No, he wouldn't want you tempted. Like I said, he chose to leave the Hallows behind for a reason, I doubt he'd have forced them on you." Alicia said

"That doesn't explained why could have not explained before he died." Harry said annoyed.

"But _is_ he dead?" said Ron, three days after they had arrived at the cottage. Harry had been staring out over the wall that separated the cottage garden from the cliff when Ron and Hermione had found him, not that it was hard to do, with Alicia following. She knew the last thing Harry would want would be the two's bickering when he wanted to be alone.

"Yes, he is, Ron, _please_ don't start that again!"

"Look at the facts, Hermione," said Ron, speaking across Harry, who continued to gaze at the horizon. "The silver doe. The sword. The eye Harry saw in the mirror —"

"Harry admits he could have imagined the eye! Don't you, Harry?"

"I could have," said Harry without looking at her.

"But you don't think you did, do you?" asked Ron.

"No, I don't," said Harry.

"There you go!" said Ron quickly, before Hermione could carry on. "If it wasn't Dumbledore, explain how Dobby knew we were in the cellar, Hermione?"

"I can't — but can you explain how Dumbledore sent him to us if he's lying in a tomb at Hogwarts?"

"I dunno, it could've been his ghost!"

"Dumbledore wouldn't come back as a ghost," said Harry.

"Yeah he wasn't scared of death." Alicia put in.

"He would have gone on."

"What d'you mean, 'gone on'?" asked Ron, but before Harry could say any more, a voice behind them said, " 'Arry?"

Fleur had come out of the cottage, her long silver hair flying in the breeze.

" 'Arry, Grip'ook would like to speak to you. 'E eez in ze smallest bedroom, 'e says 'e does not want to be over'eard."

Her dislike of the goblin sending her to deliver messages was clear; she looked irritable as she walked back around the house.

Griphook was waiting for them, as Fleur had said, in the tiniest of the cottage's three bedrooms, in which Alicia, Hermione and Luna slept by night. He had drawn the red cotton curtains against the bright, cloudy sky, which gave the room a fiery glow at odds with the rest of the airy, light cottage.

"I have reached my decision, Harry Potter," said the goblin, who was sitting cross-legged in a low chair, drumming its arms with his spindly fingers. "Though the goblins of Gringotts will consider it base treachery, I have decided to help you —"

"That's great!" said Harry, relief surging through him. "Griphook, thank you, we're really —"

"— in return," said the goblin firmly, "for payment."

Harry was taken aback and Alicia spoke first.

"Which is?" she asked

"I've got gold." Harry said

"Not gold," said Griphook. "I have gold."

His black eyes glittered; there were no whites to his eyes.

"I want the sword. The sword of Godric Gryffindor."

Harry's spirits plummeted.

"You can't have that," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Then," said the goblin softly, "we have a problem."

"We can give you something else," said Ron eagerly. "I'll bet the Lestranges have got loads of stuff, you can take your pick once we get into the vault." Alicia looked at him incredulously as he had said the wrong thing. Griphook flushed angrily.

"I am not a thief, boy! I am not trying to procure treasures to which I have no right!"

"The sword's ours —"

"It is not," said the goblin.

"We're Gryffindors, and it was Godric Gryffindor's —"

"And before it was Gryffindor's, whose was it?" demanded the goblin, sitting up straight.

"No one's," said Ron. "It was made for him, wasn't it?"

"No!" cried the goblin, bristling with anger as he pointed a long finger at Ron. "Wizarding arrogance again! That sword was Ragnuk the First's, taken from him by Godric Gryffindor! It is a lost treasure, a masterpiece of goblinwork! It belongs with the goblins! The sword is the price of my hire, take it or leave it!"

Griphook glared at them.

"How did Godric Gryffindor's name get into the hilt then? It can't be easy to do that to something goblin made?" Alicia believed. Griphook looked at her staring and she held an air about her that made him glare at her for the first time.

Harry glanced at the other two, then said, "We need to discuss this, Griphook, if that's all right. Could you give us a few minutes?"

The goblin nodded, looking sour.

Downstairs in the empty sitting room, Harry walked to the fireplace, brow furrowed, trying to think what to do. Behind him, Ron said, "He's having a laugh. We can't let him have that sword."

"Yeah well can you stop angering him more so!" Alicia said annoyed

"It is true?" Harry asked Hermione. "Was the sword stolen by Gryffindor?"

"I don't know," she said hopelessly. "Wizarding history often skates over what the wizards have done to other magical races, but there's no account that I know of that says Gryffindor stole the sword."

"It'll be one of those goblin stories," said Ron, "about how the wizards are always trying to get one over on them. I suppose we should think ourselves lucky he hasn't asked for one of our wands."

"Goblins have got good reason to dislike wizards, Ron," said Hermione. "They've been treated brutally in the past."

"Goblins aren't exactly fluffy little bunnies, though, are they?" said Ron. "They've killed plenty of us. They've fought dirty too."

"But arguing with Griphook about whose race is most underhanded and violent isn't going to make him more likely to help us, is it?"

There was a pause while they tried to think of a way around the problem. Harry looked out of the window at Dobby's grave. Luna was arranging sea lavender in a jam jar beside the headstone.

"Okay," said Ron, and Harry turned back to face him, "how's this? We tell Griphook we need the sword until we get inside the vault, and then he can have it. There's a fake in there, isn't there? We switch them, and give him the fake."

"Ron, he'd know the difference better than we would!" said Hermione. "He's the only one who realised there had been a swap!"

"Yeah, but we could scarper before he realises —"

He quailed beneath the look Hermione was giving him.

"That," she said quietly, "is despicable. Ask for his help, then double-cross him? And you wonder why goblins don't like wizards, Ron?"

Ron's ears had turned red.

"All right, all right! It was the only thing I could think of!"

"Griphook has less to loose by breaking into Gringotts than we do Hermione. Goblins aren't nice, regardless of wizard treatment. Don't get into your head that he's a saint." Alicia warned.

"Exactly, they've done what they have by choice too." Ron said but Hermione's gaze didn't change. "What's your solution, then?" he asked her.

"We need to offer him something else, something just as valuable."

"Brilliant. I'll go and get one of our other ancient goblin-made swords and you can gift wrap it."

Silence fell between them again.

"Our other option, is to get into the vault, stab the Horcrux there, and then give him the sword." Alicia said to them

"And then what, that's not the last one." Ron reminded her

"Well, for one, if there's one at Hogwarts, which I'm still sticking to, that one wont be a problem for there's a giant basilisk skeleton below the school remember. Full of basilisk fangs. After that it's just the snake. And remember, the sword can present itself in a time of need." Alicia said

"How do you expect us to kill the snake?"

"That depends on You-Know-Who. The Snake's a living creature, it's more vulnerable than normal Horcruxes and can be killed with a killing curse or otherwise." Alicia admitted "It's a living thing and therefore usually undesirable to use as a host for a Horcrux."

"I don't think giving him the sword is smart."

"It's not like we wont have time after the one in the vault's gone to work something out." Alicia said "We understand more about destroying them now than before, and like I said, basilisk fangs under Hogwarts."

"Which Snape's Headmaster of." Ron reminded her

"I'm not worried about that." she shrugged honestly and Ron gapped at her.

"Maybe he's lying," Harry said, speaking up. "Griphook. Maybe Gryffindor didn't take the sword. How do we know the goblin version of history's right?"

"Does it make a difference?" asked Hermione.

"Changes how I feel about it," said Harry.

He took a deep breath.

"We'll tell him he can have the sword after he's helped us get into that vault — but we'll be careful to avoid telling him exactly _when_ he can have it."

A grin spread slowly across Ron's face. Hermione, however, looked alarmed.

"Harry, we can't —"

"He can have it," Harry went on, "after we've used it on all of the Horcruxes. I'll make sure he gets it then. I'll keep my word."

"But that could be years!" said Hermione.

"I know that, but _he_ needn't. I won't be lying… really."

Alicia shrugged when Hermione looked at her.

"I don't like it," said Hermione.

"Nor do I, much," Harry admitted.

"Well, I think it's genius," said Ron, standing up again. "Let's go and tell him."

As they walked up the stairs Alicia had a thought.

"You know, we keep talking about getting _into_ the vault, which might be difficult, but have we thought about how to get _out_ of Gringotts?" she asked "I mean, thing about our plans, everything's fine getting in, like the Ministry, Godric's Hollow, the Lovegoods, getting out however…" she muttered.

"We should be fine with Griphook." harry said

"You're putting too much faith on a goblin Harry." she believed.

Back in the smallest bedroom, Harry made the offer, careful to phrase it so as not to give any definite time for the handover of the sword. Hermione frowned at the floor while he was speaking; he felt irritated at her, afraid that she might give the game away. However, Griphook had eyes for nobody but Harry.

"I have your word, Harry Potter, that you will give me the sword of Gryffindor if I help you?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"Then shake," said the goblin, holding out his hand.

Harry took it and shook. He wondered whether those black eyes saw any misgivings in his own. Then Griphook relinquished him, clapped his hands together, and said, "So. We begin!"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41:

It was like planning to break into the Ministry all over again. They settled to work in the smallest bedroom, which was kept, according to Griphook's preference, in semidarkness.

"I have visited the Lestranges' vault only once," Griphook told them, "on the occasion I was told to place inside it the false sword. It is one of the most ancient chambers. The oldest Wizarding families store their treasures at the deepest level, where the vaults are largest and best protected…"

They remained shut in the cupboardlike room for hours at a time. Slowly the days stretched into weeks. There was problem after problem to overcome, not least of which was that their store of Polyjuice Potion was greatly depleted.

"There's really only enough left for one of us," said Hermione, tilting the thick mudlike potion against the lamplight.

"That'll be enough," said Harry, who was examining Griphook's hand-drawn map of the deepest passageways.

The other inhabitants of Shell Cottage could hardly fail to notice that something was going on now that Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione only emerged for mealtimes. Nobody asked questions thankfully however.

Griphook became easy to dislike by the four. He was unexpectedly blood-thirsty, laughed at the idea of pain in lesser creatures, and seemed to relish the possibility that they might have to hurt other wizards to reach the Lestranges' vault. Despite the four of them agreeing on their distaste for the goblin, they did not discuss it for the simply and singular reason: they needed Griphook.

The goblin ate only grudgingly with the rest of them. Even after his legs had mended, he continued to request trays of food in his room, like the still-frail Ollivander, until Bill (following an angry outburst from Fleur) went upstairs to tell him that the arrangement could not continue. Thereafter Griphook joined them at the over-crowded table, although he refused to eat the same food, insisting, instead, on lumps of raw meat, roots, and various fungi.

Harry felt responsible: It was, after all, he who had insisted that the goblin remain at Shell Cottage so that he could question him; his fault that the whole Weasley family had been driven into hiding, that Bill, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley could no longer work.

"They'll say it's no big deal. Anyway, I'm sure Fred and George made enough to keep them going, Bill too. And Muriel seems the type to have a fortune put away." Alicia said when Harry had told her this.

The boy apologised to Fleur anyway.

"I'm sorry," he told Fleur, one blustery April evening as he helped her prepare dinner. "I never meant you to have to deal with all of this."

She had just set some knives to work, chopping up steaks for Griphook and Bill, who had preferred his meat bloody ever since he had been attacked by Greyback. While the knives sliced away behind her, her somewhat irritable expression softened.

" 'Arry, you saved my sister's life, I do not forget."

Not that Gabrielle had been in any real danger.

"Anyway," Fleur went on, pointing her wand at a pot of sauce on the stove, which began to bubble at once, "Mr. Ollivander leaves for Muriel's zis evening. Zat will make zings easier. Ze goblin," she scowled a little at the mention of him, "can move downstairs, and you, Ron, and Dean can take zat room."

"We don't mind sleeping in the living room," said Harry, who knew that Griphook would think poorly of having to sleep on the sofa; keeping Griphook happy was essential to their plans. "Don't worry about us." And when she tried to protest he went on, "We'll be off your hands soon too, Ron, Alicia, Hermione, and I. We won't need to be here much longer. Alicia's all healed up so,"

"But what do you mean?" she said, frowning at him, her wand pointing at the casserole dish now suspended in midair. "Of course you must not leave, you are safe 'ere!"

She looked rather like Mrs. Weasley as she said it.

"Yes but you're not safe." Alicia said as she walked in and moved to a cupboard, waving her wand so that several glass began to move from it and into the living room for the dinning table. "Fleur, as much as we love your hospitality, you're not safe as long as we're under your roof." she said

Fleur didn't have a chance to answer as the back door opened at that moment. Luna and Dean entered, their hair damp from the rain outside and their arms full of driftwood.

"… and tiny little ears," Luna was saying, "a bit like a hippo's, Daddy says, only purple and hairy. And if you want to call them, you have to hum; they prefer a waltz, nothing too fast…"

Looking uncomfortable, Dean shrugged at Harry as he passed, following Luna into the combined dining and sitting room where Ron and Hermione were laying the dinner table. Harry shoved a jug of pumpkin juice into Alicia's hand, taking one himself and the two followed them.

"… and if you ever come to our house I'll be able to show you the horn, Daddy wrote to me about it but I haven't seen it yet, because the Death Eaters took me from the Hogwarts Express and I never got home for Christmas," Luna was saying, as she and Dean relaid the fire.

"Luna, we told you," Hermione called over to her. "That horn exploded. It came from an Erumpent, not a Crumple-Horned Snorkack —"

"No, it was definitely a Snorkack horn," said Luna serenely. "Daddy told me. It will probably have re-formed by now, they mend themselves, you know."

Hermione shook her head and continued laying down forks as Bill appeared, leading Mr. Ollivander down the stairs. The wandmaker still looked exceptionally frail, and he clung to Bill's arm as the latter supported him, carrying a large suitcase.

"I'm going to miss you, Mr. Ollivander," said Luna, approaching the old man.

"And I you, my dear," said Ollivander, patting her on the shoulder. "You were an inexpressible comfort to me in that terrible place."

"So, _au revoir,_ Mr. Ollivander," said Fleur, kissing him on both cheeks. "And I wonder whezzer you could oblige me by delivering a package to Bill's Auntie Muriel? I never returned 'er tiara."

"It will be an honour," said Ollivander with a little bow, "the very least I can do in return for your generous hospitality."

Fleur drew out a worn velvet case, which she opened to show the wandmaker. The tiara sat glittering and twinkling in the light from the low-hanging lamp.

"Moonstones and diamonds," said Griphook, who had sidled into the room. "Made by goblins, I think?"

"And paid for by wizards," said Bill quietly, and the goblin shot him a look that was both furtive and challenging.

A strong wind gusted against the cottage windows as Bill and Ollivander set off into the night. The rest of them squeezed in around the table; elbow to elbow and with barely enough room to move, they started to eat. The fire crackled and popped in the grate beside them. Fleur was merely playing with her food; she glanced at the window every few minutes; however, Bill returned before they had finished their first course, his long hair tangled by the wind.

"Everything's fine," he told Fleur. "Ollivander settled in, Mum and Dad say hello. Ginny sends you all her love. Fred and George are driving Muriel up the wall, they're still operating an Owl-Order business out of her back room. Fred does say he's sorry Alicia, that he misses you."

"Did you tell him I'm gonna kill him?" she said casually, not looking at him.

"I did and he said he was gonna make it up to you."

"Humph." Alicia scoffed "Dunno how he could." Bill smiled slightly, almost like he knew something before turning back to Fleur.

"It cheered her up to have her tiara back, though. She said she thought we'd stolen it."

"Ah, she eez _charmante,_ your aunt," said Fleur crossly, waving her wand and causing the dirty plates to rise and form a stack in midair. She caught them and marched out of the room.

"Daddy's made a tiara," piped up Luna. "Well, more of a crown, really."

Ron caught Harry's eye and grinned; clearly remembering the ludicrous headdress they had seen on their visit to Xenophilius.

"Yes, he's trying to re-create the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. He thinks he's identified most of the main elements now. Adding the billywig wings really made a difference —"

There was a bang on the front door. Everyone's head turned toward it. Fleur came running out of the kitchen, looking frightened; Bill jumped to his feet, his wand pointing at the door; Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione did the same. Silently Griphook slipped beneath the table, out of sight.

"Who is it?" Bill called.

"It is I, Remus John Lupin!" called a voice over the howling wind. "I am a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, and you, the Secret-Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me come in an emergency!"

"Emergency?" Alicia asked, instantly worried. She couldn't think of anything to be such important… unless something happened? Was something wrong? Was Tonks alright?

Tonks… Alicia began to do the math in her head.

"Lupin," muttered Bill, and he ran to the door and wrenched it open.

Lupin fell over the threshold. He was white-faced, wrapped in a traveling cloak, his greying hair windswept.

"Is it Tonks? Is everything alright? What happened?" Alicia asked instantly.

Lupin straightened up, looked around the room, making sure of who was there, then cried aloud, "It's a boy! We've named him Ted, after Dora's father!"

Hermione shrieked and Alicia squealed.

"Wha — ? Tonks — Tonks has had the baby?"

"Yes, yes, she's had the baby!" shouted Lupin. All around the table came cries of delight, sighs of relief: Hermione and Fleur both squealed and Alicia was cheering with her hands in the air.

"Congratulations!" and Ron said, "Blimey, a baby!" as if he had never heard of such a thing before.

"Yes — yes — a boy," said Lupin again, who seemed dazed by his own happiness. He strode around the table and hugged Harry and Alicia who stood beside one another.

"You'll be godfather?" he said as he released them and looked at Harry.

"M-me?" stammered Harry

"You, yes, of course — Dora quite agrees, no one better —"

"I — yeah — blimey —"

"And Alicia of course, godmother if you please, we couldn't choose and decided both." he said

"Absolutely. After all, you're with Tonks still cause of us. Though Godparents are supposed to take over if something happens to the parents, you sure Harry and I are the safest option? We are rather accident and danger prone." she grinned and a few people laughed. Bill was hurrying to fetch wine, and Fleur was persuading Lupin to join them for a drink.

"I can't stay long, I must get back," said Lupin, beaming around at them all: He looked years younger than any had ever seen him. "Thank you, thank you, Bill."

Bill had soon filled all of their goblets, they stood and raised them high in a toast.

"To Teddy Remus Lupin," said Lupin, "a great wizard in the making!"

" 'Oo does 'e look like?" Fleur inquired.

"I think he looks like Dora, but she thinks he is like me. Not much hair. It looked black when he was born, but I swear it's turned ginger in the hour since. Probably be blond by the time I get back. Andromeda says Tonks's hair started changing colour the day that she was born." He drained his goblet. "Oh, go on then, just one more," he added, beaming, as Bill made to fill it again.

The wind buffeted the little cottage and the fire leapt and crackled, and Bill was soon opening another bottle of wine. Lupin's news seemed to have taken them out of themselves, removed them for a while from their state of siege: Tidings of new life were exhilarating. Only the goblin seemed untouched by the suddenly festive atmosphere, and after a while he slunk back to the bedroom he now occupied alone.

"No… no… I really must get back," said Lupin at last, declining yet another goblet of wine. He got to his feet and pulled his traveling cloak back around himself.

"Good-bye, good-bye — I'll try and bring some pictures in a few days' time — they'll all be so glad to know that I've seen you —"

He fastened his cloak and made his farewells, hugging the women and grasping hands with the men, then, still beaming, returned into the wild night.

"Godfather, Harry!" said Bill as they walked into the kitchen together, helping clear the table. "A real honour! Congratulations!"

"Gosh can you imagine a mix of Lupin and Tonks in a child?" Alicia asked thinking "Lupin the rebel when a child, though he was influenced by others, and Tonks who's daring and clumsy?" Hermione and Ron laughed as Luna thought.

"Sounds like an interesting combination."

"I'll say." Alicia agreed. "But isn't it great! To new life! There are still some things that this war cannot defeat." And everyone cheered in response.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42:

Their plans were made, their preparations complete; in the smallest bedroom a single long, coarse black hair (plucked from the sweater Alicia had been wearing at Malfoy Manor) lay curled in a small glass phial on the mantelpiece.

"And you'll be using her actual wand," said Harry, nodding toward the walnut wand, "so I reckon you'll be pretty convincing."

Hermione looked frightened that the wand might sting or bite her as she picked it up.

"I hate this thing," she said in a low voice. "I really hate it. It feels all wrong, it doesn't work properly for me… It's like a bit of _her._ "

"Good thing you're not using it then." Alicia said and she plucked up the wand from her hands.

"Hermione's being Bellatrix."

"Ha." Alicia said, scoffing. "Hermione, be Bellatrix? Hermione's too nice and got too much regard for rules." She scowled at the wand too. "Such an evil thing it must be, think of all the curses that've gone through it."

"But that's my point!" said Hermione. "This is the wand that tortured Neville's mum and dad, and who knows how many other people? This is the wand that killed Sirius!"

Alicia instantly darkened as she looked at the wand.

"You know, considering Bellatrix's wand was stolen, is it smart to use it?" she asked, yet again.

"How're goblins to know that?" Ron asked for the hundredth time.

"We should think about the fact that they have." Alicia grumbled.

"I miss _my_ wand," Hermione said miserably. "I wish Mr. Ollivander could have made me another one too."

Mr. Ollivander had sent Luna a new wand that morning. She was out on the back lawn at that moment, testing its capabilities in the late afternoon sun. Dean, who had lost his wand to the Snatchers, was watching rather gloomily.

Harry looked down at the hawthorn wand that had once belonged to Draco Malfoy.

"Well we finish this war, Mr Ollivander can go back to his shop, do his job and you can get a new one." Alicia said.

The door of the bedroom opened and Griphook entered. Harry reached instinctively for the hilt of the sword and drew it close to him

"We've just been checking the last-minute stuff, Griphook. We've told Bill and Fleur we're leaving tomorrow, and we've told them not to get up to see us off."

They had been firm on this point, because Hermione, or Alicia if she got her way, would need to transform into Bellatrix before they left, and the less that Bill and Fleur knew or suspected about what they were about to do, the better. They had also explained that they would not be returning. As they had lost Perkins's old tent on the night that the Snatchers caught them, Bill had lent them another one. It was now packed inside the beaded bag, which, Hermione had impressively protected from the Snatchers by the simple expedient of stuffing it down her sock.

"I just miniaturised mine largely and hid it." Alicia said "That's how I didn't loose my wand." she smiled.

Everything was set for their visit to Gringotts, everything except, Alicia noticed, their escape plan. She did believe however it might be better they don't have one as the whole thing was likely to be blown apart in an instant. Their plans were never foolproof after all.

The other thing the four had not worked out, was how they were going to ditch Griphook. They couldn't give him the sword and they didn't know how to get ride of him without doing so. It had been impossible to decide on this course of action, because the goblin rarely left Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione alone together for more than five minutes at a time: "He could give my mother lessons," growled Ron, as the goblin's long fingers kept appearing around the edges of doors.

Bill had given Harry a warning as to trusting goblins and Alicia guessed he expected them to double cross him. If Alicia was honest, if he was thinking this, then she wouldn't be surprised if he had a plan to do the same just in case.

This added back to her worry of them escaping, but she was sure they'd find something… hopefully.

Luckily, with this in mind and reassurance that she had to just be on guard and take in ever detail she could in order to help them escape, Alicia got some sleep that night. The air in the house between the four of them could not have been more different compared to the night before their infiltration of the Ministry. For some reason, she could not comprehend how, there had been some excitement amongst the nerves as well as sheer determination. Now there was nothing but worry, nagging and uncertainty. Their plan was good, as long as there wasn't anything new, unexpected or trouble.

 _And let's face it, that's all that happens with us._ Alicia had reminded herself.

When six o'clock came that morning, the four slipped out of their sleeping bags, dress in the semi darkness and crept out into the garden. Hermione was to collect Griphook while Alicia was to take the polyjuice potion.

It tasted absolutely disgusting. But Alicia held no surprise to this. It seemed personality held a large necessity on the outcome of polyjuice potion. Alicia felt herself changing and her skin bubbling. Her black hair became longer and rippling. Her eyes headily lidded, disdain filling them as Alicia looked in the mirror.

She hated seeing Bellatrix look back at her.

"Ready?" Hermione whispered and Alicia nodded before the two moved, Griphook with them, and they went out into the garden.

The dawn was chilly, but there was little wind now that it was May. Harry and Ron were already there and Hermione tucked her beaded bag back away in her pocket as she pulled out an old set of robes taken way back from Grimmauld Place.

"I have never tasted anything worse, than Bellatrix." Alicia said "I feel like I need to burn myself for having taken in her essence."

"Ron, come here so I can do you…" Hermione said

"Right, but remember, I don't like the beard too long —"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, this isn't about looking handsome —"

"It's not that, it gets in the way! But I liked my nose a bit shorter, try and do it the way you did last time."

Hermione sighed and set to work, muttering under her breath as she transformed various aspects of Ron's appearance. He was to be given a completely fake identity, and they were trusting to the malevolent aura cast by Bellatrix to protect him. Meanwhile Harry, Hermione and Griphook were to be concealed under the Invisibility Cloak. They'd thought of changing both of the girls, but too many extras would draw attention.

"There," said Hermione, "how does he look, Harry?"

It was just possible to discern Ron under his disguise, but only by the twins, likely, because they knew him so well.

Ron's hair was now long and wavy; he had a thick brown beard and moustache, no freckles, a short, broad nose, and heavy eyebrows.

"Well, he's not my type, but he'll do," said Harry. "Shall we go, then?"

All four of them glanced back at Shell Cottage, lying dark and silent under the fading stars, then turned and began to walk toward the point, just beyond the boundary wall, where the Fidelius Charm stopped working and they would be able to Disapparate. Once past the gate, Griphook spoke.

"I should climb up now, Harry Potter, I think?"

Harry bent down and the goblin clambered onto his back, his hands linked in front of Harry's throat.

Hermione pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of the beaded bag and handed it to Alicia before standing beside Harry. Alicia threw it over them both before she checked them over to double check their security.

"Perfect," she said. "Can't see a thing. Let's go."

Alicia turned on the spot as Ron did and she assumed Harry with Griphook and Hermione were following. Moments later, her feet found the pavement that was Charing Cross Road and she opened her eyes to look around the familiar street. Muggles bustled past wearing the hangdog expressions of early morning, quite unconscious of the little inn's existence.

The bar of the Leaky Cauldron was nearly deserted. Tom, the stooped and toothless landlord, was polishing glasses behind the bar counter; a couple of warlocks having a muttered conversation in the far corner glanced at Alicia and drew back into the shadows.

"Madam Lestrange," murmured Tom, and as Alicia passed he inclined his head subserviently.

She said nothing and ignored him, not even sparing him a glance. Like Bellatrix would ever waste her breath on someone like Tom unless she was torturing him.

Alicia drew Bellatrix's wand and tapped a brick in the nondescript wall in front of them. At once the bricks began to whirl and spin: A hole appeared in the middle of them, which grew wider and wider, finally forming an archway onto the narrow cobbled street that was Diagon Alley.

It was quiet, barely time for the shops to open, and there were hardly any shoppers abroad. The crooked, cobbled street was much altered now from the bustling place Alicia had visited before her first term at Hogwarts so many years before. More shops than ever were boarded up, though several new establishments dedicated to the Dark Arts had been created since her last visit. Harry's own face glared down at them from posters plastered over many windows, always captioned with the words UNDESIRABLE NUMBER ONE.

A number of ragged people sat huddled in doorways. They were moaning to the few passersby, pleading for gold, insisting that they were really wizards. One man had a bloody bandage over his eye.

Alicia ignored them all and Harry, Hermione and Ron followed with Griphook. The beggars glimpsed Alicia and she looked down her nose at them. They seemed to melt away before her, drawing hoods over their faces and fleeing as fast as they could. Until the man with the bloodied bandage came staggering right across her path.

"My children!" he bellowed, pointing at her. His voice was cracked, high-pitched; he sounded distraught. "Where are my children? What has he done with them? You know, _you know_!"

Alicia rose her wand as the man lunged at her. The man went flying away in a flurry of red sparks. She plastered a snicker on her face.

"You should have thought better of your actions if you hadn't wanted them taken." she said making her voice like Bellatrix's as much as she could.

The blast had caused several faces to appear at the windows on either side of the street, while a little knot of prosperous-looking passersby gathered their robes about them and broke into gentle trots, keen to vacate the scene.

Their entrance into Diagon Alley could hardly have been more conspicuous. As if to prove this fact, a cry sounded from behind them.

"Why, Madam Lestrange!" Alicia turned slowly, making sure to keep no care in her expression. A tall, thin wizard with a crown of bushy grey hair and a long, sharp nose was striding toward them.

"Travers." Alicia said before Harry could relay what Griphook had told him what the Death Eaters name was. She remembered him. "You want something?"

"I merely sought to greet you," said Travers coolly, slightly affronted. "but if my presence is not welcome…"

"I am merely busy Travers. Clearly you can understand." it wasn't posed as a question.

"Yes. I confess I am surprised to see you out and about, Bellatrix." he stated.

"Oh?"

"Well," Travers coughed, "I _heard_ that the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were confined to the house, after the… ah… _escape._ "

"You're brave to question his decisions." Alicia said "The Dark Lord forgives those who have served him most faithfully in the past. Perhaps your credit is not as good with him as mine is, Travers."

Though the Death Eater looked offended, he also seemed less suspicious. He glanced down at the man who had fronted her.

"How did it offend you?"

"Does it matter? It wont happen again." she said cooly.

"Some of these wandless can be troublesome," said Travers. "While they do nothing but beg I have no objection, but one of them actually asked me to plead her case at the Ministry last week. ' _I'_ _m a witch, sir, I_ _'_ _m a witch, let me prove it to you_!' " he said in a squeaky impersonation. "As if I was going to give her my wand — but whose wand," said Travers curiously, "are you using at the moment, Bellatrix? I heard that your own was —"

"It seems you have had nothing better to do than listen to rumours, Travers. Such a pity too, considering you really are sadly misinformed." Alicia cut him off. She said nothing about the wand, it all depended on Gringotts the outcome of whether she admitted to having it or not.

Travers seemed a little taken aback at that, and he turned instead to Ron.

"Who is your friend? I do not recognise him."

"This is Dragomir Despard," said Alicia; they had decided that a fictional foreigner was the safest cover for Ron to assume. "He speaks very little English, but he is in sympathy with the Dark Lord's aims. He has traveled here from Transylvania to see our new regime."

"Indeed? How do you do, Dragomir?"

" 'Ow you?" said Ron, holding out his hand.

Travers extended two fingers and shook Ron's hand as though frightened of dirtying himself.

"So what brings you and your — ah — sympathetic friend to Diagon Alley this early?" asked Travers.

"I need to visit Gringotts," said Alicia simply.

"Alas, I also," said Travers. "Gold, filthy gold! We cannot live without it, yet I confess I deplore the necessity of consorting with our long-fingered friends."

Alicia said nothing.

"Shall we?" said Travers, gesturing Hermione forward.

Alicia fell into step with Travers without a word. The two together, with Ron a pace behind, headed along the crooked, cobbled street toward the place where the snowy-white Gringotts stood towering over the other little shops.

 _We can't do this with a Death Eater watching._ Harry sad to his sister

 _Well if we turned and left now it'd be much to obvious._ Alicia responded. _They know what happened at Malfoy Manor, they know Bellatrix's wand is gone, I think if anything we're lucky we've done this so far after our escape. If it'd been the next day people wouldn't believe Bellatrix to be released already. Let us go into Gringotts and see how this goes._ she offered.

They arrived at the foot of the marble steps leading up to the great bronze doors. As Griphook had already warned them, the liveried goblins who usually flanked the entrance had been replaced by two wizards, both of whom were clutching long thin golden rods.

"Ah, Probity Probes," sighed Travers theatrically, "so crude — but effective!"

And he set off up the steps, nodding left and right to the wizards, who raised the golden rods and passed them up and down his body. The Probes detected spells of concealment and hidden magical objects.

Alicia waited for Harry to act. She watched as, unnoticed by Travers, who was looking through the bronze doors at the inner hall, each of the guards gave a little start as the planned confundus spells hit them. Alicia followed Travers up the stairs, Bellatrix's long hair rippling behind her.

"One moment, madam," said the guard, raising his Probe.

"But you've just done that!" said Alicia in Bellatrix's commanding, arrogant voice. Her patience clearly thinning. Travers looked around, eyebrows raised. The guard was confused. He stared down at the thin golden Probe and then at his companion, who said in a slightly dazed voice,

"Yeah, you've just checked them, Marius."

Alicia swept forwards, Ron beside her, and Hermione, Harry and Griphook trotting invisibly behind them.

Two goblins stood before the inner doors, which were made of silver and which carried the poem warning of dire retribution to potential thieves. Alicia remembered the first time she'd read it, and Hagrid's words. _"_ _Like I said, yeh_ _'_ _d be mad ter try an_ _'_ _rob it._ _"_ and here they were doing exactly that.

The long counter was manned by goblins sitting on high stools, serving the first customers of the day. Alicia, Ron, and Travers headed toward an old goblin who was examining a thick gold coin through an eyeglass. Alicia allowed Travers to step ahead of her on the pretext of explaining features of the hall to Ron.

The goblin tossed the coin he was holding aside, said to nobody in particular, "Leprechaun," and then greeted Travers, who passed over a tiny golden key, which was examined and given back to him.

Alicia stepped forward with an air that gave her a high presence in the room.

"Madam Lestrange!" said the goblin, evidently startled. "Dear me! How — how may I help you today?"

"I want to enter my vault," said Alicia obviously, an annoyance behind the words at even being asked.

The old goblin seemed to recoil a little. Not only was Travers hanging back, watching, but several other goblins had looked up from their work to stare at Alicia.

"You have… identification?" asked the goblin.

"Why on earth would I need identification!?" Alicia snapped "I have not been asked for such before!"

 _Griphook says they know_. Alicia pursed her lips.

"Your wand will do, madam," said the goblin. He held out a slightly trembling hand.

"Do not waste my time!" Alicia snapped as she heard Harry's next plan. "My wand was stolen as you should know! Any wand I have you would not recognise, how can it be used for identifying me!" her voice echoed from the walls as the anger of Bellatrix pushed through. Many of the goblins faltered in watching her.

The goblin looked at her for a moment, hesitance was there.

"Right."

" _Imperio_." Alicia stared in waiting.

"It was just a precaution, obviously it is not necessary."

"Then get on with it!" Alicia commanded.

The old goblin behind the counter clapped his hands and a younger goblin approached.

"I shall need the Clankers," he told the goblin, who dashed away and returned a moment later with a leather bag that seemed to be full of jangling metal, which he handed to his senior. "Good, good! So, if you will follow me, Madam Lestrange," said the old goblin, hopping down off his stool and vanishing from sight, "I shall take you to your vault."

He appeared around the end of the counter, jogging happily toward them, the contents of the leather bag still jingling. Travers was standing quite still with his mouth hanging wide open. Ron was drawing attention to this odd phenomenon by regarding Travers with confusion.

"Wait — Bogrod!"

Another goblin came scurrying around the counter.

"We have instructions," he said with a bow to Alicia. "Forgive me, Madam, but there have been special orders regarding the vault of Lestrange."

"And you don't think I, the owner of the vault, would know them?" Alicia asked "You have asked for my identification, you have prodded me with sensors, for what reason must I, the owner of the vault, be held up even more for!" she demanded. The goblin actually jumped as Alicia's voice was stern and loud.

Despite his, he whispered urgently in Bogrod's ear, but the Imperiused goblin shook him off.

"I am aware of the instructions. Madam Lestrange wishes to visit her vault… Very old family… old clients… This way, please…"

And, still clanking, he hurried toward one of the many doors leading off the hall. Alicia followed and with a glance back, a sneer on her face, she saw Travers following them, walking meekly in their wake as they reached the door and passed into the rough stone passageway beyond, which was lit with flaming torches.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

"We're in trouble; they suspect," said Harry as the door slammed behind them and he pulled off the Invisibility Cloak. Griphook jumped down from his shoulders and Hermione looked frightened; neither Travers nor Bogrod showed the slightest surprise at the sudden appearance of Harry Potter in their midst. "They're Imperiused," he added, in response Ron's confused queries about Travers and Bogrod, who were both now standing there looking blank. "I don't think I did it strongly enough, I don't know…"

"What do we do?" asked Ron. "Shall we get out now, while we can?"

"If we can," said Hermione, looking back toward the door into the main hall, beyond which who knew what was happening.

"We've got this far, I say we go on," said Harry.

"It'll be difficult to get out, but if they know it'll make it harder to come back again." Alicia said "We did the hard part, we've got what we need."

"And getting out?" Ron asked

"We'll work out something." she muttered "Let's focus on getting to the vault first."

"Good!" said Griphook. "So, we need Bogrod to control the cart; I no longer have the authority. But there will not be room for the wizard."

Harry pointed his wand at Travers.

" _Imperio_!"

The wizard turned and set off along the dark track at a smart pace.

"What are you making him do?"

"Hide," said Harry as he pointed his wand at Bogrod, who whistled to summon a little cart that came trundling along the tracks toward them out of the darkness.

"By the way, you could have just handed the wand over?" Ron said to Alicia

"No I couldn't, that would have been stupid. You heard Travers, they know we escaped and they know the wand's gone and they know who took it." Alicia said "The last thing we need is confirmation by giving them Bellatrix's wand stolen by Harry Potter." Ron looked unsure but did not argue. "And it was a silly thing of identification to ask for too, Ollivander's been taken from the Malfoys, and apparently the Malfoys and Bellatrix are all locked inside, Gregorovitch is dead so how could she get a new wand? And if she's locked up how would the Goblins know which is her's? I mean really?" Alicia rolled her eyes. "Goblins are supposed to be smarter than that."

Griphook gave her a look as they all climbed into the cart, the six go them all crammed in together with the goblins at the front and the four at the back.

"Maybe they did it because they know who's got the wand?" Harry said

"Then I'm insulted they think me that stupid." Alicia responded.

With a jerk the cart moved off, gathering speed: They hurtled past Travers, who was wriggling into a crack in the wall, then the cart began twisting and turning through the labyrinthine passages, sloping downward all the time. Nothing could be heard over the rattling of the cart on the tracks. Alicia's hair was blown behind her along with the robes as they swerved between stalactites flying ever deeper into the earth.

Alicia had never been this far down into Gringotts. They took a hairpin bend at speed and saw ahead of them, with seconds to spare, a waterfall pounding over the track. Griphook shouted, "No!" but there was no braking: They zoomed through it. Water filled Alicia's eyes and mouth: she gaged as she could not see or breathe: Then, with an awful lurch, the cart flipped over and they were all thrown out of it. The sound of the cart smashing into pieces against the passage wall echoed. Alicia had Bellatrix's wand out but Hermione shriek something first. Instead of crashing, they glided back toward the ground as though weightless, landing painlessly on the rocky passage floor.

"C-Cushioning Charm," Hermione spluttered, as Ron pulled her to her feet. Alicia stood up and shook her wet hair before she realised it was her hair. The rippling was gone, her robes were too big, and she touched her face to feel her own before turning to the others. Ron was himself again too, red-haired and beardless.

"The Thief's Downfall!" said Griphook, clambering to his feet and looking back at the deluge onto the tracks, which clearly had been more than water. "It washes away all enchantment, all magical concealment! They know there are impostors in Gringotts, they have set off defences against us!"

Hermione checked for her bag, Alicia did the same, Harry searched for his invisibility cloak and Bogrod was shaking his head in bewilderment. The Thief's Downfall seemed to have lifted the Imperius Curse.

"We need him," said Griphook, "we cannot enter the vault without a Gringotts goblin. And we need the Clankers!"

" _Imperio_!" Harry said again; his voice echoed through the stone passage. Bogrod submitted once more to his will, his befuddled expression changing to one of polite indifference, as Ron hurried to pick up the leather bag of metal tools.

"Harry, I think I can hear people coming!" said Hermione, and she pointed Alicia's wand, which he had as Alicia had Bellatrix's, at the waterfall and cried, " _Protego_!" They saw the Shield Charm break the flow of enchanted water as it flew up the passageway.

"Good thinking," said Harry. "Lead the way, Griphook!"

"How are we going to get out again?" Ron asked as they hurried on foot into the darkness after the goblin, Bogrod panting in their wake like an old dog.

"Let's worry about that when we have to," said Harry.

"Told you it'd be difficult." Alicia mumbled.

"Griphook, how much farther?" Harry asked

"Not far, Harry Potter, not far…"

And they turned a corner and saw the thing for which they had been warned of, had been prepared for, but which still brought all of them to a halt.

A gigantic dragon was tethered to the ground in front of them, barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in the place. The beast's scales had turned pale and flaky during its long incarceration under the ground; its eyes were milkily pink; both rear legs bore heavy cuffs from which chains led to enormous pegs driven deep into the rocky floor. Its great spiked wings, folded close to its body, would have filled the chamber if it spread them, and when it turned its ugly head toward them, it roared with a noise that made the rock tremble, opened its mouth, and spat a jet of fire that sent them running back up the passageway.

"It is partially blind," panted Griphook, "but even more savage for that. However, we have the means to control it. It has learned what to expect when the Clankers come. Give them to me."

Ron passed the bag to Griphook, and the goblin pulled out a number of small metal instruments that when shaken made a loud, ringing noise like miniature hammers on anvils. Griphook handed them out: Bogrod accepted his meekly.

"You know what to do," Griphook told Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione. "It will expect pain when it hears the noise: It will retreat, and Bogrod must place his palm upon the door of the vault."

They advanced around the corner again, shaking the Clankers, and the noise echoed off the rocky walls, grossly magnified. The dragon let out another hoarse roar, then retreated. They could see it trembling, and as they drew nearer scars made by vicious slashes across its face came into focus. Someone had tortured it to train it to retreat.

"Make him press his hand to the door!" Griphook urged Harry, who turned his wand again upon Bogrod. The old goblin obeyed, pressing his palm to the wood, and the door of the vault melted away to reveal a cavelike opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armour, the skins of strange creatures — some with long spines, others with drooping wings — potions in jewelled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown.

"Search, fast!" said Harry as they all hurried inside the vault.

Alicia looked all around the vault but before she could get a good look at anything, there was a muffled clunk from behind them: The door had reappeared, sealing them inside the vault, and they were plunged into total darkness.

"No matter, Bogrod will be able to release us!" said Griphook as Ron gave a shout of surprise. "Light your wands, can't you? And hurry, we have very little time!"

" _Lumos_!"

Alicia's wand lit up as Harry's did. Ron and Hermione lit there's too and Alicia moved to have a look at the many treasures. There were glittering jewels everywhere, the fake sword of Gryffindor was lying on a high shelf amongst a jumble of chains. Ron and Hermione were also searching before Hermione broke the silence.

"Harry, could this be — ? Aargh!"

Hermione screamed in pain, and the twins turned to her in time to see a jewelled goblet tumbling from her grip. But as it fell, it split, became a shower of goblets, so that a second later, with a great clatter, the floor was covered in identical cups rolling in every direction, the original impossible to discern amongst them.

"It burned me!" moaned Hermione, sucking her blistered fingers.

"They have added Gemino and Flagrante Curses!" said Griphook. "Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless — and if you continue to handle the treasure, you will eventually be crushed to death by the weight of expanding gold!"

"Okay, don't touch anything!" said Harry desperately, but even as he said it, Ron accidentally nudged one of the fallen goblets with his foot, and twenty more exploded into being while Ron hopped on the spot, part of his shoe burned away by contact with the hot metal.

"Stand still, don't move!" said Hermione, clutching at Ron.

"Just look around!" said Harry. "Remember, the cup's small and gold, it's got a badger engraved on it, two handles — otherwise see if you can spot Ravenclaw's symbol anywhere, the eagle —"

"We don't need to be burned and buried, and we don't need anything that's not the cup." Alicia said as she looked around.

"Can we even find it with this much treasure?" Ron demanded

"It's not Bellatrix's and she worships You-Know-Who, so I imagine it'd be hard to get to, but in prime position." Alicia mumbled as she was looking at the walls and shelves. They directed their wands into every nook and crevice, turning cautiously on the spot. It was impossible not to brush up against anything; Harry sent a great cascade of fake Galleons onto the ground where they joined the goblets, and now there was scarcely room to place their feet, and the glowing gold blazed with heat, so that the vault felt like a furnace.

Alicia rose her wand higher and higher to look at the walls, ignoring the treasure immediately around her before Harry's voice sounded.

" _It_ _'_ _s there, it_ _'_ _s up there_!"

Alicia, Hermione and Ron all turned their wands. The little golden cup sparkled in a four-way spotlight: the cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, which had passed into the possession of Hepzibah Smith, from whom it had been stolen by Tom Riddle.

"And how the hell are we going to get up there without touching anything?" asked Ron.

" _Accio Cup_!" cried Hermione, who had evidently forgotten in her desperation what Griphook had told them during their planning sessions.

"No use, no use!" snarled the goblin.

"Then what do we do?" said Harry, glaring at the goblin. "If you want the sword, Griphook, then you'll have to help us more than — wait! Can I touch stuff with the sword? Hermione, give it here!"

 _Don't pull it out!_ Alicia snapped at him mentally. _It'll give Griphook the chance to take it!_ Harry ignored her. She didn't trust the goblin to follow their bargain anymore than he expected them too.

Hermione fumbled inside her robes, drew out the beaded bag, rummaged for a few seconds, then removed the shining sword. Harry seized it by its rubied hilt and touched the tip of the blade to a silver flagon nearby, which did not multiply.

"If I can just poke the sword through a handle — but how am I going to get up there?"

The shelf on which the cup reposed was out of reach for any of them, even Ron, who was tallest. The heat from the enchanted treasure rose in waves. As the four of them tried to think, the dragon roared on the other side of the vault door, and the sound of clanking joined it, growing louder and louder.

They were truly trapped now: There was no way out except through the door, and a horde of goblins seemed to be approaching on the other side. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and saw terror in their faces. Alicia was staring at the cup.

"We can't use spells on the cup, but we can use it on each other." She said, ignoring the clanking from outside.

"Hermione," said Harry as the clanking grew louder, "I've got to get up there, we've got to get rid of it —"

She raised her wand, pointed it at Harry, and whispered, " _Levicorpus._ "

Hoisted into the air by his ankle, Harry hit a suit of armour and replicas burst out of it like white-hot bodies, filling the cramped space. With screams of pain Alicia, Ron, Hermione, and the two goblins were knocked aside into other objects, which also began to replicate. Half buried in a rising tide of red-hot treasure, they struggled and yelled as Harry thrust the sword through the handle of Hufflepuff's cup, hooking it onto the blade.

" _Impervius_!" screeched Hermione in an attempt to protect herself, Alicia, Ron, and the goblins from the burning metal.

" _Aguamenti_!" Water spilled over the treasure from Bellatrix's wand and the sizzling of the water on the hot treasure caused steam to rise. It didn't cool any of it down and Alicia stopped.

"We need to get out of here!" Alicia cried as she, Hermione and Ron were waist deep in treasure. Hermione and Ron were trying to keep Bogrod from slipping beneath the rising tide, but Griphook had sunk out of sight and nothing but the tips of a few long fingers were left in view.

Harry seized Griphook's fingers and pulled. The blistered goblin emerged by degrees, howling.

" _Liberacorpus_!" yelled Harry, and with a crash he and Griphook landed on the surface of the swelling treasure, and the sword flew out of Harry's hand.

"Get it!" Harry yelled, fighting the pain of the hot metal on his skin, as Griphook clambered onto his shoulders again, determined to avoid the swelling mass of red-hot objects. "Where's the sword? It had the cup on it!"

The clanking on the other side of the door was growing deafening — it was too late —

"There!"

It was Griphook who had seen it and Griphook who lunged. The goblin never expected the four to keep their word and so he held desperation in his face as, with one hand, he held tightly to a fistful of Harry's hair, to make sure he did not fall into the heaving sea of burning gold, and with the other, Griphook seized the hilt of the sword and swung it high out of Harry's reach. The tiny golden cup, skewered by the handle on the sword's blade, was flung into the air. The goblin still astride him, Harry dived and caught it, and although Alicia could feel her hand burning as it scalded his flesh he did not relinquish it, even while countless Hufflepuff cups burst from his fist, raining down upon him as the entrance of the vault opened up again.

They were all sliding uncontrollable on an expanding avalanche of fiery gold and silver that bore Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione into the outer chamber.

Harry shoved the cup into his pocket, and Griphook slid from Harry's shoulders the moment he could, he had sprinted for cover amongst the surrounding goblins, brandishing the sword and crying, "Thieves! Thieves! Help! Thieves!" He vanished into the midst of the advancing crowd, all of whom were holding daggers and who accepted him without question.

The only way the four were getting out was through and Alicia flashed Bellatrix's wand as Harry yelled, " _Stupefy!_ "

Ron and Hermione joined in: Jets of red light flew into the crowd of goblins, and some toppled over, but others advanced, and several wizard guards were running around the corner.

There were only four of them and they could fight their way through, but then what? They had no goblin to get them on a cart and they couldn't get up and out. They'd be lost in the labyrinth. They'd wander forever.

The tethered dragon let out a roar, and a gush of flame flew over the goblins: The wizards fled, doubled-up, back the way they had come, and Alicia stared at the dragon. What if they flew out?

Alicia turned to Harry and he was staring at her too. It was inspiration, or it was madness, but it was better than what else awaited them.

Pointing his wand at the thick cuffs chaining the beast to the floor, Harry yelled, " _Relashio_!"

The cuffs broke open with loud bangs.

"This way!" Harry yelled, and still shooting Stunning Spells at the advancing goblins, he sprinted toward the blind dragon with his sister hot on his heels.

"Harry — Harry — what are you doing?" cried Hermione.

"Get up, climb up, come on —"

The dragon had not realised that it was free: Harry's foot found the crook of its hind leg and he pulled himself up onto its back. Alicia reached up and Harry heaved her up behind him.

The scales were hard as steel; it did not even seem to feel them. Harry stretched out an arm; Hermione hoisted herself up; Ron climbed on behind them, and a second later the dragon became aware that it was untethered.

With a roar it reared. Alicia dug in her knees and heels as she'd done on the thestrals and clutched to the jagged scales as tightly as possible. The wings opened, knocking the shrieking goblins aside like skittles, and it soared into the air. Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione, flat on its back, scraped against the ceiling as it dived toward the passage opening, while the pursuing goblins hurled daggers that glanced off its flanks.

"We'll never get out, it's too big!" Hermione screamed, but the dragon opened its mouth and belched flame again, blasting the tunnel, whose floors and ceiling cracked and crumbled. By sheer force the dragon clawed and fought its way through.

Alicia, ignoring the dust and heat looked up and raised the wand in her hand.

" _Reducto_!" and massive chunks of the passage were blasted into nothing by the strength of her spell.

Hermione caught on and with a raise of Alicia's wand yelled, " _Defodio_!"

The two girls and the dragon enlarged the passageway, carving out the ceiling as it struggled upward toward the fresher air, away from the shrieking and clanking goblins: Harry and Ron copied the girls, blasting the ceiling apart with more gouging spells. They passed the underground lake, and the great crawling, snarling beast seemed to sense freedom and space ahead of it, and behind them the passage was full of the dragon's thrashing, spiked tail, of great lumps of rock, gigantic fractured stalactites, and the clanking of the goblins seemed to be growing more muffled, while ahead, the dragon's fire kept their progress clear — And then at last, by the combined force of their spells and the dragon's brute strength, they had blasted their way out of the passage into the marble hallway. Goblins and wizards shrieked and ran for cover, and finally the dragon had room to stretch its wings: Turning its horned head toward the cool outside air it could smell beyond the entrance, it took off, and with Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione still clinging to its back, it forced its way through the metal doors, leaving them buckled and hanging from their hinges, as it staggered into Diagon Alley and launched itself into the sky.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44:

There was no means of steering; the dragon could not see where it was going. The four clung onto it's back and hoped it would not turn sharply or roll, for it would throw them all off of it's broad back, there was nothing but the scales to cling to. Nevertheless, as they climbed higher and higher, London unfurling below them like a grey-and-green map.

Alicia had worried about how they'd get out and now they had, on the back of a dragon no less she couldn't help but laugh. The other's looked at her like she was mad but she couldn't help it. Who'd have thought they'd escape Gringotts on the back of a dragon? She almost forgot about her burned and blistered skin, though the cool breeze was seriously helping to sooth the burning.

The dragon's wings beat the air like the sails of a windmill. Behind the twins, whether from delight or fear, Ron kept swearing at the top of his voice, and Hermione seemed to be sobbing.

The dragon continued to fly, it had no particular destination and seemed to just want to get away from the terrible darkness it had been imprisoned in. The fear of being thrown off, diminishing, Alicia now turned her attention to how they were going to disembark. They were much too high to jump and how long a dragon could fly depended on it's breed. The good thing was, eventually, the dragon would have to stop to rest, or drink, or eat. Alicia wasn't worried about distance, the Dragon could take them as far as it wanted too for all she cared. The further from London the better. The dragon seemed to crave cooler and fresher air: It climbed steadily until they were flying through wisps of chilly cloud. On and on they flew, over countryside parcelled out in patches of green and brown, over roads and rivers winding through the landscape like strips of matte and glossy ribbon.

"What do you reckon it's looking for?" Ron yelled as they flew farther and farther north.

"No idea," Harry bellowed back.

"Water? Food?" Alicia offered "Clearance? It's gotta stop eventually." she promised.

"Would it eat us?" Ron said

"Not if we're cleaver and get away first." Alicia said, yelling over the wind.

The sun slipped lower in the sky, which was turning indigo; and still the dragon flew, cities and towns gliding out of sight beneath them, its enormous shadow sliding over the earth like a great dark cloud.

"Is it my imagination," shouted Ron after a considerable stretch of silence, "or are we losing height?"

The other three looked down, there were deep green mountains and lakes below them, coppery in the sunset. The landscape seemed to grow larger and more detailed.

"Water!" Alicia said to the others. "I wants fresh water."

Lower and lower the dragon flew, in great spiralling circles, honing in, it seemed, upon one of the smaller lakes.

"I say we jump when it gets low enough!" Harry called back to the others. "Straight into the water before it realises we're here!"

They agreed, Hermione a little faintly. Alicia watched as the dragon's wide yellow underbelly rippled in the surface of the water.

"NOW!"

Alicia swung herself, slithered over the side and plummeted feet first towards the surface of the lake. The drop seemed greater than expected and they all hit the water hard, plunging like stone into the freezing, green, reed filled world. Alicia kicked herself upwards, there were enormous ripples were Harry, Ron and Hermione had fallen. The dragon did not seem to have noticed anything: It was already fifty feet away, swooping low over the lake to scoop up water in its scarred snout. As Harry, Ron and Hermione emerged, spluttering and gasping, from the depths of the lake, the dragon flew on, its wings beating hard, and landed at last on a distant bank.

The four struck out for the opposite shore. The lake did not seem to be deep: Soon it was more a question of fighting their way through reeds and mud than swimming, and at last they flopped, sodden, panting, and exhausted, onto slippery grass.

Hermione collapsed, coughing and shuddering. None of them seemed to want to move and Harry took the initiative to stagger to his feet, draw out his wand, and start casting the usual protective spells around them.

He rejoined them when he was finished and Alicia looked at them all. There were angry red burns all over the four of them. Harry less so however. The clothes were singed away in places as Hermione collected her bottle of dittany and the three dabbed it on their many injuries.

Hermione handed Harry the bottle, then pulled out three bottles of pumpkin juice she had brought from Shell Cottage and clean, dry robes for all of them. They changed and then gulped down the juice.

"Well, on the upside," said Ron finally, who was sitting watching the skin on his hands regrow, "we got the Horcrux. On the downside —"

"— no sword," said Harry through gritted teeth, as he dripped dittany through the singed hole in his jeans onto the angry burn beneath.

"No sword," repeated Ron. "That double-crossing little scab…"

Harry pulled the Horcrux from the pocket of the wet jacket he had just taken off and set it down on the grass in front of them. Glinting in the sun, it drew their eyes as they swigged their bottles of juice.

"At least we can't wear it this time, that'd look a bit weird hanging round our necks," said Ron, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

Hermione looked across the lake to the far bank, where the dragon was still drinking.

"What'll happen to it, do you think?" she asked. "Will it be all right?"

"You sound like Hagrid," said Ron. "It's a dragon, Hermione, it can look after itself. It's us we need to worry about."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know how to break this to you," said Ron, "but I think they _might_ have noticed we broke into Gringotts."

All four of them started to laugh, and once started, it was difficult to stop.

"What are we going to do, though?" said Hermione finally, hiccuping herself back to seriousness. "He'll know, won't he? You-Know-Who will know we know about his Horcruxes!"

"Maybe they'll be too scared to tell him?" said Ron hopefully. "Maybe they'll cover up —"

"Doubtful." Alicia managed to say before she hissed and clapped her hand at her neck. Hermione and Ron turned to her. "Gosh I'd say they didn't." and the three turned to Harry.

Hermione and Ron moved over to him and Alicia pursed her lips. She thought quickly before she closed her eyes.

The Elder Wand slashed through the air and green light erupted through the room; the kneeling goblin rolled over, dead; the watching wizards scattered before him, terrified: Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy threw others behind them in their race for the door, and again and again his wand fell, and those who were left were slain, all of them, for bringing him this news, for hearing about the golden cup —

Alone amongst the dead he stormed up and down, and they passed before him in vision: his treasures, his safeguards, his anchors to immortality — the diary was destroyed and the cup was stolen: What if, _what if,_ the boy knew about the others? Could he know, had he already acted, had he traced more of them? Was Dumbledore at the root of this? Dumbledore, who had always suspected him; Dumbledore, dead on his orders; Dumbledore, whose wand was his now, yet who reached out from the ignominy of death through the boy, _the boy_ —

But surely if the boy had destroyed any of his Horcruxes, he, Lord Voldemort, would have known, would have felt it? He, the greatest wizard of them all; he, the most powerful; he, the killer of Dumbledore and of how many other worthless, nameless men: How could Lord Voldemort not have known, if he, himself, most important and precious, had been attacked, mutilated?

True, he had not felt it when the diary had been destroyed, but he had thought that was because he had no body to feel, being less than ghost… No, surely, the rest were safe… The other Horcruxes must be intact…

But he must know, he must be sure.… He paced the room, kicking aside the goblin's corpse as he passed, and the pictures blurred and burned in his boiling brain: the lake, the shack, and Hogwarts —

A modicum of calm cooled his rage now: How could the boy know that he had hidden the ring in the Gaunt shack? No one had ever known him to be related to the Gaunts, he had hidden the connection, the killings had never been traced to him: The ring, surely, was safe.

And how could the boy, or anybody else, know about the cave or penetrate its protection? The idea of the locket being stolen was absurd…

As for the school: He alone knew where in Hogwarts he had stowed the Horcrux, because he alone had plumbed the deepest secrets of that place…

And there was still Nagini, who must remain close now, no longer sent to do his bidding, under his protection…

But to be sure, to be utterly sure, he must return to each of his hiding places, he must redouble protection around each of his Horcruxes… A job, like the quest for the Elder Wand, that he must undertake alone…

Which should he visit first, which was in most danger? An old unease flickered inside him. Dumbledore had known his middle name… Dumbledore might have made the connection with the Gaunts… Their abandoned home was, perhaps, the least secure of his hiding places, it was there that he would go first…

The lake, surely impossible… though was there a slight possibility that Dumbledore might have known some of his past misdeeds, through the orphanage.

And Hogwarts… but he knew that his Horcrux there was safe; it would be impossible for Potter to enter Hogsmeade without detection, let alone the school. Nevertheless, it would be prudent to alert Snape to the fact that the boy might try to reenter the castle… To tell Snape why the boy might return would be foolish, of course; it had been a grave mistake to trust Bellatrix and Malfoy: Didn't their stupidity and carelessness prove how unwise it was ever to trust?

He would visit the Gaunt shack first, then, and take Nagini with him: He would not be parted from the snake anymore… and he strode from the room, through the hall, and out into the dark garden where the fountain played; he called the snake in Parseltongue and it slithered out to join him like a long shadow…

Alicia opened her eyes. Harry was lying on his back and Hermione and Ron were still leaning over him. The girl jumped to her feet as Harry struggled to sit up.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" She said triumphantly, pointing at Ron and Hermione who turned to her from Harry. "I knew it! I knew it!" she said again. The two looked confused

"He knows." Harry said, regaining the two's attention. "He knows, and he's going to check where the others are, and the last one," he was already on his feet, "is at Hogwarts. I knew it. I _knew_ it."

Alicia held up her hand and Harry looked at her for a moment before sharing the high five.

"We were right." she grinned

"What?"

Ron was gaping at him; Hermione sat up, looking worried.

"But what did you see? How do you know?"

"I saw him find out about the cup, I — I was in his head, he's… he's seriously angry, and scared too, he can't understand how we knew, and now he's going to check the others are safe, the ring first. He thinks the Hogwarts one is safest, because Snape's there, because it'll be so hard not to be seen getting in, I think he'll check that one last, but he could still be there within hours —"

"Did you see where in Hogwarts it is?" asked Ron, now scrambling to his feet too.

"No, he was concentrating on warning Snape, he didn't think about exactly where it is —"

"No, he sort of did." Alicia interjected. "He thought 'He alone knew where in Hogwarts he had stowed the Horcrux, because he alone had plumbed the deepest secrets of that place…'." she repeated.

"That tells us nothing?" Ron said

"It tells us he's arrogant, and it tells us that he hid it somewhere no one really knows of." Alicia said as she thought. "That narrows it down from average classrooms and hallways." she said "And that narrows the search of the castle as a whole." Ron had picked up the horcrux from the grass and Harry was pulling out the invisibility cloak. "What's more, if we manage to get into the castle, we can destroy the horcruxes with the Basilisk fangs below it remember. We don't even need the sword! Gosh could this work out any more perfect?" she grinned

"Wait, _wait_!" cried Hermione "We can't just _go,_ we haven't got a plan, we need to —"

"We need to get going," said Harry firmly.

"Our plans suck Hermione. I'm not wasting weeks planning." Alicia said

"And can you imagine what he's going to do once he realises the ring and the locket are gone? What if he moves the Hogwarts Horcrux, decides it isn't safe enough?" Harry asked

"But how are we going to get in?"

"We'll go to Hogsmeade," said Harry,

"No we wont!" Alicia said instantly and he looked at her. "Don't you remember any of the important details? 'it would be impossible for Potter to enter Hogsmeade without detection, let alone the school.' That's what he thought." she said "We can't apparat into Hogsmeade."

"Then what?" Harry asked

"The Cave. The Cave Sirius hid in remember, it's out of Hogsmeade so we hopefully wont be detected, but close enough." she said thinking. "Hopefully we can just walk in as long as we don't apparate in."

"Alright, and then we can try to work something out once we see what the protection around the school's like. Get under the Cloak, Hermione, I want to stick together this time."

"But we don't really fit —"

"It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet."

The flapping of enormous wings echoed across the black water: The dragon had drunk its fill and risen into the air. They paused in their preparations to watch it climb higher and higher, now black against the rapidly darkening sky, until it vanished over a nearby mountain. Then Hermione walked forward and took her place beside Alicia. Harry pulled the Cloak down as far as it would go, and together they turned on the spot into the crushing darkness.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45:

Her feet hit the hard stone of the cave and the darkness engulfed them still as she opened her eyes. Cold air blew in from the opening as they stood below the cloak. Alicia glanced at the three, checking them over before she took Hermione and Harry's hands and was first to lead them from the cave, Ron with them.

The pathway from the cave hadn't changed much from the last time they were here, something like three years ago now. The ground was still covered with boulders and rocks and the four had difficulty navigating it while under the cloak. They took their time scrambling down the steep, winding, and stony path before they finally reached the base of the mountain.

They didn't hesitate in climbing through the stile that sat at the end of the lane. It was difficult with the cloak but the risked it, bits of them showing here and there anyway. They then proceeded up the winding lane of the wild countryside around Hogsmeade. The cottages were fewer here, and their gardens larger compared to the main street, but it was all familiar to the four. They continued until they came to High Street before pausing and looking around. It was as familiar as always with the dark shop fronts, and the outline of black mountains beyond the village, and the curve in the road ahead that led off toward Hogwarts, and light spilling from the windows of the Three Broomsticks.

And then the silence was broken. The air was rent by a scream. Alicia cursed, despite not apparating right into the village, they'd set off what ever alert had been put up anyway. The door of the Three Broomsticks burst open and a dozen cloaked and hooded Death Eaters dashed into the street, their wands aloft.

Harry seized Ron's wrist as he raised his wand; there were too many of them to Stun: Even attempting it would give away their position. One of the Death Eaters waved his wand and the scream stopped, still echoing around the distant mountains.

" _Accio Cloak_!" roared one of the Death Eaters.

Alicia smirked at the ill attempt but Harry seized its folds anyway. The cloak made no attempt to escape: The Summoning Charm had not worked on it.

"Not under your wrapper, then, Potter?" yelled the Death Eater who had tried the charm, and then to his fellows, "Spread out. He's here."

Six of the Death Eaters ran toward them: Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione backed as quickly as possible down the nearest side street, and the Death Eaters missed them by inches. They waited in the darkness, listening to the footsteps running up and down, beams of light flying along the street from the Death Eaters' searching wands.

"Let's just leave!" Hermione whispered. "Disapparate now!"

"Great idea," said Ron, but before Harry could reply a Death Eater shouted,

"We know you're here, Potter, and there's no getting away! We'll find you!"

"They were ready for us," whispered Harry. "They set up that spell to tell them we'd come. I reckon they've done something to keep us here, trap us —"

"There's no getting out now." Alicia agreed

"What about dementors?" called another Death Eater. "Let 'em have free rein, they'd find him quick enough!"

"The Dark Lord wants Potter dead by no hand but his —"

"— an' dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, not his soul. He'll be easier to kill if he's been Kissed first!"

There were noises of agreement.

"Harry, what ever you do, I suggest you don't cast your patronus." Alicia said

"But…"

"It's too obvious." she confessed

"We're going to have to try to Disapparate, Harry!" Hermione whispered.

As she spoke the unnatural cold begin to steal over the street. Light was sucked from the environment right up to the stars, which vanished. In the pitch-blackness, Hermione took hold of Alicia's hand and she grabbed Harry's arm and together, they turned on the spot.

The air through which they needed to move seemed to have become solid: They could not Disapparate; the Death Eaters had cast their charms well. The cold was biting deeper and deeper. He, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione retreated down the side street, groping their way along the wall, trying not to make a sound. Then, around the corner, gliding noiselessly, came dementors, ten or more of them, visible because they were of a denser darkness than their surroundings, with their black cloaks and their scabbed and rotting hands. It seemed they could sense their fear, or their pain. They seemed to be coming more quickly now, taking those dragging, rattling breaths he detested, tasting despair on the air, closing in —

Harry rose his wand before Alicia did and the words were whispered from his lips. " _Expecto Patronum!_ "

"No." Alicia whispered in a groan.

The silver stag burst from his wand and charged: The dementors scattered and there was a triumphant yell from somewhere out of sight.

"It's him, down there, down there, I saw his Patronus, it was a stag!"

The dementors had retreated, the stars were popping out again, and the footsteps of the Death Eaters were becoming louder. Alicia had her wand up and ready but before the Death Eaters came closer and before she could decide which spell to use, there was a grinding of bolts nearby, a door opened on the left-hand side of the narrow street, and a rough voice said, "Potter, in here, quick!"

They obeyed without hesitation: The four of them hurtled through the open doorway.

"Upstairs, keep the Cloak on, keep quiet!" muttered a tall figure, passing them on his way into the street and slamming the door behind him.

It took a moment for Alicia to figure out where they where. By the stuttering light of a single candle, the grubby, sawdust-strewn bar of the Hog's Head Inn was lit up before them. They ran behind the counter and through a second doorway, which led to a rickety wooden staircase that they climbed as fast as they could. The stairs opened onto a sitting room with a threadbare carpet and a small fireplace, above which hung a single large oil painting of a blonde girl who gazed out at the room with a kind of vacant sweetness.

Shouts reached them from the street below. Still wearing the Invisibility Cloak, they crept toward the grimy window and looked down. Their saviour, whom was the Hog's Head's barman, was the only person not wearing a hood.

"So what?" he was bellowing into one of the hooded faces. "So what? You send dementors down my street, I'll send a Patronus back at 'em! I'm not having 'em near me, I've told you that, I'm not having it!"

"That wasn't your Patronus!" said a Death Eater. "That was a stag, it was Potter's!"

"Stag!" roared the barman, and he pulled out a wand. "Stag! You idiot — _Expecto Patronum_!"

Something huge and horned erupted from the wand: Head down, it charged toward the High Street and out of sight.

"That's not what I saw —" said the Death Eater, though with less certainty.

"Curfew's been broken, you heard the noise," one of his companions told the barman. "Someone was out in the street against regulations —"

"If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!"

" _You_ set off the Caterwauling Charm?"

"What if I did? Going to cart me off to Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out my own front door? Do it, then, if you want to! But I hope for your sakes you haven't pressed your little Dark Marks and summoned him. He's not going to like being called here for me and my old cat, is he, now?"

"Don't you worry about us," said one of the Death Eaters, "worry about yourself, breaking curfew!"

"And where will you lot traffick potions and poisons when my pub's closed down? What'll happen to your little sidelines then?"

"Are you threatening — ?"

"I keep my mouth shut, it's why you come here, isn't it?"

"I still say I saw a stag Patronus!" shouted the first Death Eater.

"Stag?" roared the barman. "It's a _goat,_ idiot!"

"All right, we made a mistake," said the second Death Eater.

"Break curfew again and we won't be so lenient!"

The Death Eaters strode back toward the High Street. Alicia sighed and moved out from under the cloak as Hermione moaned with relief and did the same, sitting down on a wobble-legged chair. Harry drew the curtains tight shut, then pulled the Cloak off himself and Ron. They could hear the barman down below, rebolting the door of the bar, then climbing the stairs.

Alicia had moved to the portrait on the wall of the blonde girl and looked up at her. Harry moved next to her but he was looking at something else, a rectangular mirror propped up on the mantelpiece.

The barman entered the room.

"You bloody fools," he said gruffly, looking from one to the other of them. "What were you thinking, coming here?"

"Thank you," said Harry. "We can't thank you enough. You saved our lives."

The barman grunted. Harry approached him, looking up into the face, "It's your eye I've been seeing in the mirror."

There was silence in the room. Harry and the barman looked at each other but Alicia seemed the only one to understand. The brilliant blue of Dumbledore's eye appeared, and here stood a man with the same eyes, with whom Dumbledore had expressed being friendly with.

"You're Abeforth." she said and the four looked at her. "Abeforth Dumbledore."

Harry turned back to the man. He neither confirmed nor denied it.

"You sent Dobby."

The barman nodded and looked around for the elf.

"Thought he'd be with you. Where've you left him?"

"He's dead," said Harry. "Bellatrix Lestrange killed him."

The barman's face was impassive. After a few moments he said,

"I'm sorry to hear it. I liked that elf."

He turned away, lighting lamps with prods of his wand, not looking at any of them as he bent to light the fire.

"How did you get this?" Harry asked, walking across to Sirius's mirror, the twin of the one he had broken nearly two years before.

"Bought it from Dung 'bout a year ago," said Aberforth and Alicia remembered seeing him there, right before the group had spoken to Dung and Alicia and Harry had threatened him. "Albus told me what it was. Been trying to keep an eye out for you."

Ron gasped.

"The silver doe!" he said excitedly. "Was that you too?"

"Ron." Alicia sighed in annoyance. Abeforth's patronus, as they had literally just found out, was a goat.

"What are you talking about?" said Aberforth.

"Someone sent a doe Patronus to us!"

"Brains like that, you could be a Death Eater, son. Haven't I just proved my Patronus is a goat?"

"Oh," said Ron. "Yeah… well, I'm hungry!" he added defensively as his stomach gave an enormous rumble.

"I got food," said Aberforth, and he sloped out of the room, reappearing moments later with a large loaf of bread, some cheese, and a pewter jug of mead, which he set upon a small table in front of the fire. Ravenous, they ate and drank, and for a while there was silence but for the crackle of the fire, the clink of goblets, and the sound of chewing.

"Right then," said Aberforth when they had eaten their fill, and Harry and Ron sat slumped dozily in their chairs.

Alicia remained the only one standing as she looked at the portrait. If this was Abeforth, than was the girl on the wall Ariana? She really was beautiful.

"We need to think of the best way to get you out of here. Can't be done by night, you heard what happens if anyone moves outdoors during darkness: Caterwauling Charm's set off, they'll be onto you like bow-truckles on doxy eggs. I don't reckon I'll be able to pass off a stag as a goat a second time. Wait for daybreak when curfew lifts, then you can put your Cloak back on and set out on foot. Get right out of Hogsmeade, up into the mountains, and you'll be able to Disapparate there. Might see Hagrid. He's been hiding in a cave up there with Grawp ever since they tried to arrest him."

"We're not leaving," said Harry. "We need to get into Hogwarts."

"Don't be stupid, boy," said Aberforth.

"Stupid or not, we're not leaving." Alicia said stubbornly. Abeforth stared at her and she wondered if Dumbledore had told his brother about the twins.

"We've got to," said Harry.

"What you've got to do," said Aberforth, leaning forward, "is to get as far from here as you can."

"You don't understand. There isn't much time. We've got to get into the castle. Dumbledore — I mean, your brother — wanted us —"

The firelight made the grimy lenses of Aberforth's glasses momentarily opaque, a bright flat white. "My brother Albus wanted a lot of things," said Aberforth, "and people had a habit of getting hurt while he was carrying out his grand plans. You get away from this school, Potter, and out of the country if you can. Forget my brother and his clever schemes. He's gone where none of this can hurt him, and you don't owe him anything."

"You don't understand," said Harry again.

"Oh, don't I?" said Aberforth quietly. "You don't think I understood my own brother? Think you knew Albus better than I did?"

"I didn't mean that," said Harry, "It's… he left me a job."

"Did he now?" said Aberforth. "Nice job, I hope? Pleasant? Easy? Sort of thing you'd expect an unqualified wizard kid to be able to do without over-stretching themselves?"

"It doesn't matter about that." Alicia said as Ron gave out a grim laugh and Hermione looked strained. "But unfortunately there is no one else who can know of this, no one else can do it." she said.

"I-it's not easy, no," said Harry. "But I've got to —"

"'Got to'? Why ' _got to_ '? He's dead, isn't he?" said Aberforth roughly. "Let it go, boy, before you follow him! Save yourself!"

Alicia let out a humourless laugh.

"I can't."

"Save ourselves? And let everyone else die?" she asked "Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"I —" Harry felt overwhelmed; he could not explain, so he took the offensive instead. "But you're fighting too, you're in the Order of the Phoenix —"

"I was," said Aberforth. "The Order of the Phoenix is finished. You-Know-Who's won, it's over, and anyone who's pretending different's kidding themselves. It'll never be safe for you here, Potter, he wants you too badly. So go abroad, go into hiding, save yourself. Best take these two with you." He jerked a thumb at Ron and Hermione. "They'll be in danger long as they live now everyone knows they've been working with you. And your stubborn sister here isn't much better off."

"It's not over." Alicia said strongly.

"We can't leave," said Harry. "I've got a job —"

"Give it to someone else!"

"It doesn't work that way." Alicia snapped

"I can't. It's got to be me, Dumbledore explained it all —"

"Oh, did he now? And did he tell you everything, was he honest with you?"

Harry wanted with all his heart to say "Yes," but somehow the simple word would not rise to his lips. Aberforth seemed to know what he was thinking.

"I knew my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at our mother's knee. Secrets and lies, that's how we grew up, and Albus… he was a natural."

The old man's eyes traveled to the painting of the girl over the mantelpiece. It was the only picture in the room.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46:

Alicia looked at the portrait on the wall as Aberforth, large and overlooking the sitting room. Hermione was the one to break the silence.

"Mr. Dumbledore?" said Hermione rather timidly. "Is that your sister? Ariana?"

"Yes," said Aberforth tersely. "Been reading Rita Skeeter, have you, missy?"

Even by the rosy light of the fire it was clear that Hermione had turned red.

"Elphias Doge mentioned her to us," said Harry, trying to spare Hermione.

"That old berk," muttered Aberforth, taking another swig of mead. "Thought the sun shone out of my brother's every orifice, he did. Well, so did plenty of people, you three included, by the looks of it."

"He was terrible at secrets and a very selfish person. He asked things of people that were hard and something you should never do." Alicia said and the four all looked at her surprised. "He was harsh and unfair sometimes yes." her voice was low as she retrained tears, remembering how this would all end. "But that changes nothing."

"You trust him when thinking of him like that?"

"I do. Because he's made mistakes, everyone has, such as what I assume happened with your sister." she said and Abeforth stared at her. "But unfortunately, what we're doing, it doesn't matter if it was Dumbledore who gave it to us or not, it needs to be done." she looked at Harry "And unfortunately it can only finish with Harry." the three shared a look as Abeforth huffed at her.

"Professor Dumbledore cared about Harry, very much," said Hermione in a low voice.

"Did he now?" said Aberforth. "Funny thing, how many of the people my brother cared about very much ended up in a worse state than if he'd left 'em well alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione breathlessly.

"Never you mind," said Aberforth.

"But that's a really serious thing to say!" said Hermione. "Are you — are you talking about your sister?"

Aberforth glared at her: His lips moved as if he were chewing the words he was holding back. Then he burst into speech.

"When my sister was six years old, she was attacked, set upon, by three Muggle boys. They'd seen her doing magic, spying through the back garden hedge: She was a kid, she couldn't control it, no witch or wizard can at that age. What they saw scared them, I expect. They forced their way through the hedge, and when she couldn't show them the trick, they got a bit carried away trying to stop the little freak doing it."

Hermione's eyes were huge in the firelight; Ron looked slightly sick. Aberforth stood up, tall as Albus, and suddenly terrible in his anger and the intensity of his pain.

"It destroyed her, what they did: She was never right again. She wouldn't use magic, but she couldn't get rid of it; it turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn't control it, and at times she was strange and dangerous. But mostly she was sweet and scared and harmless."

Alicia's eyes were wide and her mouth open.

Ariana was an Obscurus.

"And my father went after the bastards that did it," said Aberforth, "and attacked them. And they locked him up in Azkaban for it. He never said why he'd done it, because if the Ministry had known what Ariana had become, she'd have been locked up in St. Mungo's for good. They'd have seen her as a serious threat to the International Statute of Secrecy, unbalanced like she was, with magic exploding out of her at moments when she couldn't keep it in any longer.

"We had to keep her safe and quiet. We moved house, put it about she was ill, and my mother looked after her, and tried to keep her calm and happy.

" _I_ was her favourite," he said, and as he said it, a grubby schoolboy seemed to look out through Aberforth's wrinkles and tangled beard. "Not Albus, he was always up in his bedroom when he was home, reading his books and counting his prizes, keeping up with his correspondence with 'the most notable magical names of the day,' " Aberforth sneered. " _He_ didn't want to be bothered with her. She liked me best. I could get her to eat when she wouldn't do it for my mother, I could get her to calm down when she was in one of her rages, and when she was quiet, she used to help me feed the goats.

"Then, when she was fourteen… See, I wasn't there," said Aberforth. "If I'd been there, I could have calmed her down. She had one of her rages, and my mother wasn't as young as she was, and… it was an accident. Ariana couldn't control it. But my mother was killed."

Alicia pursed her lips and Abeforth kept talking.

"So that put paid to Albus's trip round the world with little Doge. The pair of 'em came home for my mother's funeral and then Doge went off on his own, and Albus settled down as head of the family. Ha!"

Aberforth spat into the fire.

"I'd have looked after her, I told him so, I didn't care about school, I'd have stayed home and done it. He told me I had to finish my education and _he_ _'d_ take over from my mother. Bit of a comedown for Mr. Brilliant, there's no prizes for looking after your half-mad sister, stopping her blowing up the house every other day. But he did all right for a few weeks… till he came."

And now a positively dangerous look crept over Aberforth's face.

"Grindelwald. And at last, my brother had an _equal_ to talk to, someone just as bright and talented as _he_ was. And looking after Ariana took a backseat then, while they were hatching all their plans for a new Wizarding order, and looking for _Hallows,_ and whatever else it was they were so interested in. Grand plans for the benefit of all Wizardkind, and if one young girl got neglected, what did that matter, when Albus was working for _the greater good_?

"But after a few weeks of it, I'd had enough, I had. It was nearly time for me to go back to Hogwarts, so I told 'em, both of 'em, face-to-face, like I am to you, now," and Aberforth looked down at Harry, and it took little imagination to see him as a teenager, wiry and angry, confronting his elder brother. "I told him, you'd better give it up now. You can't move her, she's in no fit state, you can't take her with you, wherever it is you're planning to go, when you're making your clever speeches, trying to whip yourselves up a following. He didn't like that," said Aberforth, and his eyes were briefly occluded by the firelight on the lenses of his glasses: They shone white and blind again. "Grindelwald didn't like that at all. He got angry. He told me what a stupid little boy I was, trying to stand in the way of him and my brilliant brother… Didn't I _understand,_ my poor sister wouldn't _have_ to be hidden once they'd changed the world, and led the wizards out of hiding, and taught the Muggles their place?

"And there was an argument… and I pulled out my wand, and he pulled out his, and I had the Cruciatus Curse used on me by my brother's best friend — and Albus was trying to stop him, and then all three of us were duelling, and the flashing lights and the bangs set her off, she couldn't stand it —"

The colour was draining from Aberforth's face as though he had suffered a mortal wound.

"— and I think she wanted to help, but she didn't really know what she was doing, and I don't know which of us did it, it could have been any of us — and she was dead."

His voice broke on the last word and he dropped down into the nearest chair. Hermione's face was wet with tears, and Ron was almost as pale as Aberforth. Harry felt nothing but revision as Alicia looked at the portrait. So it was something like that. Something dreadful for him to apologise for. And she knew, by the truth of that potion he took in the cave, that Dumbledore still had hated himself for it till the last moment. Perhaps that was what he saw in the Mirror of Erised all those years ago, when he'd lied about wanting socks? He saw his family together again, or maybe he saw himself apologising?

"I'm so… I'm so sorry," Hermione whispered.

"Gone," croaked Aberforth. "Gone forever."

He wiped his nose on his cuff and cleared his throat.

" 'Course, Grindelwald scarpered. He had a bit of a track record already, back in his own country, and he didn't want Ariana set to his account too. And Albus was free, wasn't he? Free of the burden of his sister, free to become the greatest wizard of the —"

"Free?" Alicia asked "Are you kind me? He never forgot about that day." she said and Harry was nodding

"He was never free," said Harry.

"I beg your pardon?" said Aberforth.

"Never," said Harry. "The night that your brother died, he drank a potion that drove him out of his mind. He started screaming, pleading with someone who wasn't there. 'Don't hurt them, please… hurt me instead.' "

"He was trying to apologise, he felt guilty and terrible. He wanted them back to apologise. He never forgot and he never forgave himself either." Alicia whispered

Ron and Hermione were staring at the twins.

"He thought he was back there with you and Grindelwald, I know he did," said Harry, remembering Dumbledore whimpering, pleading. "He thought he was watching Grindelwald hurting you and Ariana… It was torture to him, if you'd seen him then, you wouldn't say he was free."

Aberforth seemed lost in contemplation of his own knotted and veined hands. After a long pause he said, "How can you be sure, Potter, that my brother wasn't more interested in the greater good than in you? How can you be sure you aren't dispensable, just like my little sister?"

And Alicia felt her eyes prick. He wasn't dispensable… but that didn't change what had to happen.

"I don't believe it. Dumbledore loved Harry," said Hermione.

"Why didn't he tell him to hide, then?" shot back Aberforth. "Why didn't he say to him, 'Take care of yourself, here's how to survive'?"

"Because he knew Harry never would do that." Alicia whispered as she took a breath. "Harry would never hide. And considering that, and Dumbledore wanted Harry to survive, it was best to give him a mission."

"Sometimes you've _got_ to think about more than your own safety! Sometimes you've _got_ to think about the greater good! This is war!" Harry said

"You're seventeen, boy!"

"I'm of age, and I'm going to keep fighting even if you've given up!"

"Who says I've given up?"

" 'The Order of the Phoenix is finished,' " Harry repeated. " 'You-Know-Who's won, it's over, and anyone who's pretending different's kidding themselves.' "

"I don't say I like it, but it's the truth!"

"No, it isn't," said Harry. "Your brother knew how to finish You-Know-Who and he passed the knowledge on to me. I'm going to keep going until I succeed — or I die. Don't think I don't know how this might end. I've known it for years."

He waited for Aberforth to jeer or to argue, but he did not. He merely scowled.

"Now if you're done trying to tell us the person we knew it terrible, and that you held a grudge with your brother all these years, than we need your help." Alicia said in a soft voice.

"We need to get into Hogwarts," said Harry again. "If you can't help us, we'll wait till daybreak, leave you in peace, and try to find a way in ourselves. If you _can_ help us — well, now would be a great time to mention it."

Aberforth remained fixed in his chair, gazing at Harry with the eyes that were so extraordinarily like his brother's. At last he cleared his throat, got to his feet, walked around the little table, and approached the portrait of Ariana.

"You know what to do," he said.

She smiled, turned, and walked away, not as people in portraits usually did, out of the sides of their frames, but along what seemed to be a long tunnel painted behind her. They watched her slight figure retreating until finally she was swallowed by the darkness.

Alicia rose an eyebrow, that was a first?

"Er — what — ?" began Ron.

"There's only one way in now," said Aberforth. "You must know they've got all the old secret passageways covered at both ends, dementors all around the boundary walls, regular patrols inside the school from what my sources tell me. The place has never been so heavily guarded. How you expect to do anything once you get inside it, with Snape in charge and the Carrows as his deputies… well, that's your lookout, isn't it? You say you're prepared to die."

"But what…?" said Hermione, frowning at Ariana's picture.

"If we're smart the Carrows aren't an issue." Alicia said ignoring Hermione as they watched the portrait.

"And Snape?" Abeforth asked.

"Leave Snape to me." she whispered "I actually want a talk with him."

"Talk? To Snape?" Harry demanded as Ron and Hermione shared a look.

"Trust me." she said simply to him and he looked surprised by the look on her face, not hatred or anger, but determination.

A tiny white dot had reappeared at the end of the painted tunnel, and now Ariana was walking back toward them, growing bigger and bigger as she came. But there was somebody else with her now, someone taller than she was, who was limping along, looking excited. His hair was longer than ever before: He appeared to have suffered several gashes to his face and his clothes were ripped and torn. Larger and larger the two figures grew, until only their heads and shoulders filled the portrait. Then the whole thing swung forward on the wall like a little door, and the entrance to a real tunnel was revealed. And out of it, his hair overgrown, his face cut, his robes ripped, clambered the real Neville Longbottom, who gave a roar of delight, leapt down from the mantelpiece, and yelled, "I knew you'd come! _I knew it, Harry_!"


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47:

"Neville — what the — how — ?"

But Neville was engulfing Alicia and absolutely smuggling her before he spotted Ron and Hermione, and with yells of delight was hugging them too. The longer they looked at Neville, the worse he appeared: One of his eyes was swollen yellow and purple, there were gouge marks on his face, and his general air of unkemptness suggested that he had been living rough. Nevertheless, his battered visage shone with happiness as he let go of Hermione and said again, "I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!"

"Neville, what's happened to you?"

"What? This?" Neville dismissed his injuries with a shake of the head. "This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh," he turned to Aberforth, "Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way."

"Couple more?" repeated Aberforth ominously. "What d'you mean, a couple more, Longbottom? There's a curfew and a Caterwauling Charm on the whole village!"

"I know, that's why they'll be Apparating directly into the bar," said Neville. "Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot."

Neville held out his hand to Hermione and helped her to climb up onto the mantelpiece and into the tunnel; Alicia climbed up after them and Ron followed, then Neville. There were smooth stone steps on the other side: It looked as though the passageway had been there for years. Brass lamps hung from the walls and the earthy floor was worn and smooth.

Harry addressed Aberforth.

"I don't know how to thank you. You've saved our lives twice."

"Look after 'em, then," said Aberforth gruffly. "I might not be able to save 'em a third time."

Harry clambered up onto the mantelpiece and through the hole behind Ariana's portrait.

"How long's this been here?" Ron asked as they set off,. "It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of school?" as they walked, their shadows rippled, fanlike, across the wall.

"They sealed off all of those before the start of the year," said Neville. "There's no chance of getting through any of them now, not with curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and dementors waiting at the exits." He started walking backward, beaming, drinking them in. "Never mind that stuff… Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Terry Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!"

"Yeah, it's true," said Harry.

"The dragon wasn't planned, we sort of improvised." Alicia confessed smirking.

Neville laughed gleefully.

"What did you do with the dragon?"

"Released it into the wild," said Ron. "Hermione was all for keeping it as a pet —"

"Don't exaggerate, Ron —"

"But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, Harry, but I don't think so. I think you've been up to something."

"You're right," said Harry, "but tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything."

"Yeah, we've been cut off form the world since, what? We broke into the Ministry?" Alicia asked thinking.

"You broke into the Ministry?"

"Yeah, in September." Alicia chuckled "Was that not reported? We managed to tell George and after hearing _Potterwatch_ I thought they'd have said something."

"Wicked! The Ministry and Gringotts!" Neville grinned

"And now Hogwarts." Alicia said "How did we not guess the three most heavily guarded places from the beginning?" she asked turning to Harry smirking.

"Shut up Alicia I wanna hear about Hogwarts." Ron said and she hit him annoyed.

"It's been… well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore," said Neville, the smile fading from his face as he spoke. "Do you know about the Carrows?"

"Those two Death Eaters who teach here?"

"They do more than teach," said Neville. "They're in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows."

"Like Umbridge?"

"Nah, they make her look tame. The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do.

"Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defence Against the Dark Arts, except now it's just the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions —"

" _What_?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione's united voices echoed up and down the passage.

"I wish I could say I'm surprised." Alicia grumbled angrily.

"Yeah," said Neville. "That's how I got this one," he pointed at a particularly deep gash in his cheek, "I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect.

"Alecto, Amycus's sister, teaches Muggle Studies, which is compulsory for everyone. We've all got to listen to her explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drove wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being reestablished. I got this one," he indicated another slash to his face, "for asking her how much Muggle blood she and her brother have got."

"Blimey, Neville," said Ron, "there's a time and a place for getting a smart mouth."

"You didn't hear her," said Neville. "You wouldn't have stood it either. The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives everyone hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry."

"Great, it's your fault Neville's slashed up Harry." Alicia said

"Like you're better." he commented and she shrugged.

"But they've used you as a knife sharpener," said Ron, wincing slightly as they passed a lamp and Neville's injuries were thrown into even greater relief.

Neville shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. They don't want to spill too much pure blood, so they'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us."

"You're too used to such a treatment Neville, listen to you like it's nothing." Alicia scolded.

"The only people in real danger are the ones whose friends and relatives on the outside are giving trouble. They get taken hostage. Old Xeno Lovegood was getting a bit too outspoken in _The Quibbler,_ so they dragged Luna off the train on the way back for Christmas."

"Neville, she's all right, we've seen her —"

"Yeah, I know, she managed to get a message to me."

From his pocket he pulled a golden coin, it as one of the fake Galleons that Dumbledore's Army had used to send one another messages.

"These have been great," said Neville, beaming at Hermione. "The Carrows never rumbled how we were communicating, it drove them mad. We used to sneak out at night and put graffiti on the walls: _Dumbledore_ _'_ _s Army, Still Recruiting,_ stuff like that. Snape hated it."

"You _used to_?" said Harry, noticing the past tense.

"Well, it got more difficult as time went on," said Neville. "We lost Luna at Christmas, and Ginny never came back after Easter, and the three of us were sort of the leaders. The Carrows seemed to know I was behind a lot of it, so they started coming down on me hard, and then Michael Corner went and got caught releasing a first-year they'd chained up, and they tortured him pretty badly. That scared people off."

"No kidding," muttered Ron, as the passage began to slope upward.

"Michael Conner?" Alicia asked surprised "I never knew he had it in him."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't ask people to go through what Michael did, so we dropped those kinds of stunts. But we were still fighting, doing underground stuff, right up until a couple of weeks ago. That's when they decided there was only one way to stop me, I suppose, and they went for Gran."

"They _what_?" said Harry, Ron, and Hermione together.

"Yeah," said Neville, panting a little now, because the passage was climbing so steeply.

"I can't see your Gran as the frail type." Alicia said, remembering the women from their visit to St Mungo's two years previously.

"Well, you can see their thinking. It had worked really well, kidnapping kids to force their relatives to behave, I s'pose it was only a matter of time before they did it the other way around. Thing was," he faced them, and Harry was astonished to see that he was grinning, "they bit off a bit more than they could chew with Gran. Little old witch living alone, they probably thought they didn't need to send anyone particularly powerful. Anyway," Neville laughed, "Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter," he clapped a hand to the breast pocket of his robes, "telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parents' son, and to keep it up."

"Cool," said Ron.

"Yeah," said Neville happily. "Only thing was, once they realised they had no hold over me, they decided Hogwarts could do without me after all. I don't know whether they were planning to kill me or send me to Azkaban; either way, I knew it was time to disappear."

"But," said Ron, looking thoroughly confused, "aren't — aren't we heading straight back into Hogwarts?"

" 'Course," said Neville. "You'll see. We're here."

"You've been hiding in the school?" Alicia asked thinking and Neville grinned at her. "Room of Requirement?" she offered and Neville chuckled

"It's good to have you back Alicia." she grinned

They turned a corner and there ahead of them was the end of the passage. Another short flight of steps led to a door just like the one hidden behind Ariana's portrait. Neville pushed it open and climbed through. Alicia looked around and grinned in awe.

There were coloured hangings, lamps and many faces. The room was enormous, and looked rather like the interior of a particularly sumptuous tree house, or perhaps a gigantic ship's cabin. Multicoloured hammocks were strung from the ceiling and from a balcony that ran around the dark wood-panelled and windowless walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings: There was the gold Gryffindor lion, emblazoned on scarlet; the black badger of Hufflepuff, set against yellow; and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw, on blue. The silver and green of Slytherin alone were absent. There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wooden-cased wireless. The room was packed with people as Neville call out to them all: "Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?"

People turned and looked and the room was filled with several screams and yells: "HARRY!" "It's Potter, it's POTTER!" "Alicia!" "The Twins!" "Potter!" "Ron!" " _Hermione_!"

Alicia looked around grinning.

"We're back!" she couldn't help but shout and several people laughed as she did.

The next moment, she, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were engulfed, hugged, pounded on the back, their hair ruffled, their hands shaken, by what seemed to be more than twenty people: They might just have won a Quidditch final.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Neville called, and as the crowd backed away.

"Where are we?" Harry asked once he had a chance to look around.

"Room of Requirement, of course!" said Neville. "Surpassed itself, hasn't it? The Carrows were chasing me, and I knew I had just one chance for a hideout: I managed to get through the door and this is what I found! Well, it wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a load smaller, there was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hangings. But it's expanded as more and more of the D.A. have arrived."

"And the Carrows can't get in?" asked Harry, looking around for the door.

"No," said Seamus Finnigan,. Alicia turned to him and was surprised. Seamus's face was bruised and puffy. "It's a proper hideout, as long as one of us stays in here, they can't get at us, the door won't open. It's all down to Neville. He really _gets_ this room. You've got to ask it for _exactly_ what you need — like, 'I don't want any Carrow supporters to be able to get in' — and it'll do it for you! You've just got to make sure you close the loopholes! Neville's the man!"

"It's quite straightforward, really," said Neville modestly. "I'd been in here about a day and a half, and getting really hungry, and wishing I could get something to eat, and that's when the passage to the Hog's Head opened up. I went through it and met Aberforth. He's been providing us with food, because for some reason, that's the one thing the room doesn't really do."

"Yeah, well, food's one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," said Ron to general astonishment.

"Hermione told him that months ago." Alicia said and many people laughed.

"So we've been hiding out here for nearly two weeks," said Seamus, "and it just makes more hammocks every time we need them, and it even sprouted a pretty good bathroom once girls started turning up —"

"— and thought they'd quite like to wash, yes," supplied Lavender Brown. There were many other faces familiar in the room as well. Both Patil twins were there, as were Terry Boot, Ernie Macmillan, Anthony Goldstein, and Michael Corner.

"Tell us what you've been up to, though," said Ernie. "There've been so many rumours, we've been trying to keep up with you on _Potterwatch._ " He pointed at the wireless. "You didn't break into Gringotts?"

"They did!" said Neville. "And the dragon's true too!"

There was a smattering of applause and a few whoops; Ron took a bow.

"Gosh were do we start?" Alicia asked thinking "We broke into the Ministry in September, Harry, Hermione and I went to Godric's Hollow at Christmas and got attacked by You-Know-Who's snake. Harry got bitten. We went to Luna's dad in like February and he sold us out for Death Eaters to have Luna back. We got kidnapped by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor sometime in, I think April. We lost track of time. And then we broke into Gringotts yesterday. And now, we're breaking into Hogwarts." Alicia grinned as she listed the incidents on her fingers.

"What were you after?" asked Seamus eagerly.

"Oh you know, Bellatrix Lestrange decided to torture me while we were at Malfoy Manor so we decided to piss her off by breaking into her vault and robbing her." Alicia shrugged simply.

A few people laughed but at that point the usual pain shot through Alicia's scar and she clapped her hand to it. She turned to Harry who had turned his back on the crowd of grinning faces. He staggered and Ron grabbed him as Alicia did and within a moment he opened his eyes again.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Neville was saying. "Want to sit down? I expect you're tired, aren't — ?"

"No," said Harry. He looked at Alicia, Ron and Hermione. Alicia nodded and turned to everyone else, they had a job to do, reunions were over.

"He got to the shack?" she asked and he nodded back to her as she pursed her lips.

"We need to get going," he said.

"What are we going to do, then, Harry?" asked Seamus. "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" repeated Harry.

Alicia laughed. "Sorry but our plans go sideways, we're winging this one. There is no plan." she said

"Then why are you here?" Lavender asked

"Well, there's something we — Ron, Hermione, and I — need to do, and then we'll get out of here."

Nobody was laughing or whooping anymore. Neville looked confused.

"What d'you mean, 'get out of here'?"

"We haven't come back to stay," said Harry, rubbing his scar, trying to soothe the pain. "There's something important we need to do —"

"What is it?"

"I — I can't tell you."

There was a ripple of muttering at this: Neville's brows contracted.

"Why can't you tell us? It's something to do with fighting You-Know-Who, right?"

"Well, yeah —"

"Then we'll help you."

The other members of Dumbledore's Army were nodding, some enthusiastically, others solemnly. A couple of them rose from their chairs to demonstrate their willingness for immediate action.

"You don't understand." Harry seemed to have said that a lot in the last few hours. "We — we can't tell you. We've got to do it — alone."

"Why?" asked Neville.

Alicia stopped to think. They kept it a secret so Voldemort wouldn't find out what they were doing, but he knew now…

"Because…" Harry began "Dumbledore left the three of us a job," he said carefully, "and we weren't supposed to tell — I mean, he wanted us to do it, just the three of us."

"We're his army," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army. We were all in it together, we've been keeping it going while you three have been off on your own —"

"Hey we didn't ask you to, don't bring that on us." Alicia said, an eyebrow raised.

"It hasn't exactly been a picnic, mate," said Ron.

"I never said it had, but I don't see why you can't trust us. Everyone in this room's been fighting and they've been driven in here because the Carrows were hunting them down. Everyone in here's proven they're loyal to Dumbledore — loyal to you."

"Look," Harry began but he was cut off, the tunnel door had just opened behind him.

"We got your message, Neville! Hello you three, I thought you must be here!"

It was Luna and Dean. Seamus gave a great roar of delight and ran to hug his best friend.

"Hi, everyone!" said Luna happily. "Oh, it's great to be back!"

"Luna," said Harry distractedly, "what are you doing here? How did you — ?"

"I sent for her," said Neville, holding up the fake Galleon. "I promised her and Ginny that if you turned up I'd let them know. We all thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution. That we were going to overthrow Snape and the Carrows."

"Of course that's what it means," said Luna brightly. "Isn't it, Harry? We're going to fight them out of Hogwarts?"

"We were thinking of being stealthy, not bring out a war." Alicia said but then she turned to Harry. "But it he's coming it'll come to that anyway." she whispered

"Listen," said Harry with a rising sense of panic, "I'm sorry, but that's not what we came back for. There's something we've got to do, and then —"

"You're going to leave us in this mess?" demanded Michael Corner.

"No!" said Ron. "What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You-Know-Who —"

"Then let us help!" said Neville angrily. "We want to be a part of it!"

There was another noise behind them, and the four turned. Ginny was now climbing through the hole in the wall, closely followed by Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.

Alicia felt her face heat up and her anger swelled. But below that were the desires that she'd had to fight against back at The Burrow, the last time she saw him.

"Aberforth's getting a bit annoyed," said Fred, raising his hand in answer to several cries of greeting. "He wants a kip, and his bar's turned into a railway station."

He seemed to notice Alicia then and stopped as Cho Chang suddenly began to climb through the tunnel too.

"I got the message," she said, holding up her own fake Galleon, and she walked over to sit beside Michael Corner.

"Well." Alicia said and everyone stopped as they saw her glaring at Fred like she wanted to hex him.

"I'm sorry Alicia." he said

"Sorry!?" she fumed and now everyone was silent. "You're sorry!? You're sorry you broke my mirror, stopped contacting me, ignored me for I don't even know how long, and then decided it'd be funny to send me a public messages through a radio station!?" she shouted. "Do you have any idea how worried I was!? You never answered me, you never called for me, you weren't even there the last time I spoke to George!? And all you can say is sorry!"

"Am I missing something?" Neville asked Harry.

"It wasn't intentional, I didn't smash it because I wanted to." Fred said

"What happened then!?" she demanded

"Well, we were helping Lee with his broadcasts and we had to move around a lot and during one of the moves—"

"There was a protection charm on it Fred Weasley it didn't just smash!?"

"I thought she'd have forgotten it when she saw you again." George mumbled to his twin. "You know, happy reunion?"

"She might have if she hadn't gotten the message on _Potterwatch_." Ron added

"My only contact to you, to know you were alright, and safe, and you disregarded it enough to break it!" Alicia shouted.

Fred didn't respond and she fumed, releasing a breath and turning away from him.

"For gods sake. Can't trust you with anything." she grumbled.

"If you really felt that you wouldn't still be wearing my ring." Fred said.

Alicia huffed and said nothing as a few people muttered, she had managed to protect her gifts through all their ordeals.

"So what's the plan, Harry?" said George, changing the topic.

"There isn't one," said Harry.

"Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favourite kind," said Fred as he decided to be brave and moved over to Alicia to hug her from behind.

"Get off." she snapped annoyed but he didn't and she decided to just ignore his presence instead.

"You've got to stop this!" Harry told Neville. "What did you call them all back for? This is insane —"

"We're fighting, aren't we?" said Dean, taking out his fake Galleon. "The message said Harry was back, and we were going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though —"

"You haven't got a _wand_ — ?" began Seamus.

Ron turned suddenly to Harry.

"Why can't they help?"

"What?"

"They can help." He dropped his voice and said, so that none of them could hear but Hermione, who stood between them, "We don't know where it is. We've got to find it fast. We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux."

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione, who murmured, "I think Ron's right. We don't even know what we're looking for, we need them." And when Harry looked unconvinced, "You don't have to do everything alone, Harry."

"All right," he said quietly to the other two. "Okay," he called to the room at large, and all noise ceased: George, who had been cracking jokes for the benefit of those nearest, fell silent, Fred who'd been whispering to Alicia while she batted at him with her hand, turned to Harry, and all of them looked alert, excited.

"There's something we need to find," Harry said. "Something — something that'll help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?"

He looked hopefully toward the little group of Ravenclaws, to Padma, Michael, Terry, and Cho, but it was Luna who answered, perched on the arm of Ginny's chair.

"Well, there's her lost diadem. I told you about it, remember, Harry? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it."

"Yeah, but the lost diadem," said Michael Corner, rolling his eyes, "is _lost,_ Luna. That's sort of the point."

"When was it lost?" asked Harry.

"Centuries ago, they say," said Cho "Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but," she appealed to her fellow Ravenclaws, "nobody's ever found a trace of it, have they?"

They all shook their heads.

"Well that makes it the most perfect object." Alicia said and everyone looked at her. "What more perfect to use than an item everyone thinks is gone forever. And if anyone's got the determination to get it," she turned to Harry "it'd be You-Know-Who."

"But how could he have found it?" Harry asked her

"He's him, remember, he's persuasive and can follow things. That's how he found everything else." she said "He'd have found a resource."

"Sorry, but what _is_ a diadem?" asked Ron.

"It's a kind of crown," said Terry Boot. "Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer."

"Yes, Daddy's Wrackspurt siphons —"

But Harry cut across Luna.

"And none of you have ever seen anything that looks like it?"

They all shook their heads again. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and his own disappointment was mirrored back at him while Alicia was thoughtful. The three turned to her.

"You still think it's the diadem?" Harry asked her.

"I think it's possible, lost or not. You just need to think as to how You know who could have traced it. He'd have had to talk to someone likely, or find books, but it Professor Flitwick doesn't know than it's likely not a recorded source."

"Will you think faster?" Ron said and she scowled at him.

"If you'd like to see what the diadem's supposed to look like, I could take you up to our common room and show you, Harry? Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue." Cho spoke up.

Alicia's neck scorched again and she looked at Harry.

"He's on the move," he said quietly to Ron and Hermione. He glanced at Cho and then back at them. "Listen, I know it's not much of a lead, but I'm going to go and look at this statue, at least find out what the diadem looks like. Wait for me here and keep, you know — the other one — safe." Alicia nodded as she was still thinking.

Cho had got to her feet, but Ginny said rather fiercely, "No, Luna will take Harry, won't you, Luna?"

"Oooh, yes, I'd like to," said Luna happily, and Cho sat down again, looking disappointed.

"How do we get out?" Harry asked Neville.

"Over here."

He led Harry and Luna to a corner, where a small cupboard opened onto a steep staircase.

"It comes out somewhere different every day, so they've never been able to find it," he said. "Only trouble is, we never know exactly where we're going to end up when we go out. Be careful, Harry, they're always patrolling the corridors at night."

"No problem," said Harry.

"Oh, Harry!" Alicia moved over to him, rummaging in her bag, surprising people as her arm vanished into it before she pulled out the old piece of parchment. "This might help."

"Awesome." he nodded "See you in a bit."

"And be careful, remember, he was going to tip Snape off." she said as the two hurried down the staircase.

"This seems pointless." Ron said to Alicia as she came back over. "If it was lost?"

"Like I said, I don't think that's a problem."

"Well we can't just wait here, we don't have time." Hermione said

"We can't move forwards with our search right now…" Alicia thought before she remembered "But there is something else we need." she said to them. "The Chamber." a few people were listening to them as they spoke lowly but Alicia wasn't worried about that.

"Chamber?"

"Through the bathroom." Alicia reminded them "We need a fang." the two looked at one another.

There was another noise and suddenly more people were climbing through the hole from the Hog's Head.

"Neville, how many people did you contact?" she asked surprised. Kingsley and Lupin climbed through and soon so did Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, Bill and Fleur, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Ron!" they ran at their son and Mrs Weasley absolutely covered him in kisses.

"Alicia, we've been so worried!" and she smuggled the girl too. "Where's Harry?"

"He's here, he's doing something."

"We are too." Ron said taking Hermione's hand. "Come on Alicia, we've got to go to the bathroom." he'd understood what Alicia had been getting at.

"You go, I'll see you later." they looked confused

"But we need a parselmouth to get down there?" Hermione said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Actually, I think I've got it." Ron said and Hermione looked bewildered.

"Go." Alicia said. They didn't argue, but followed Luna and Harry down the staircase.

"What's going on?" Lupin asked Alicia.

"We're looking for something in the castle, but it's difficult, will be well hidden and we only have one idea of what it is which was lost centuries ago, so we're not doing well." Alicia said "I have something I need to go and do to, while I can." she said thinking "Harry should be back soon, stay here and wait for us." and she turned

"Alicia!" Lupin said

"Later." she called back as she went down the stairs and to the wall at the bottom. There was a solid wall at the bottom and Alicia touched it to have it melt away. She glanced out of the corridor before she began to move. A few turns and she knew where she was before she hurried along the corridors, keeping quiet.

She luckily came across no one as she moved, keeping to the shadows and trying to make her hurried footsteps make no noise.

Eventually she stood before the gargoyle and she looked up at it worried, taking a breath. She hope this went well.

"Password…" Alicia said thinking. "Well, if it was me in Snape's spot I'd make it Dumbledore." and the gargoyle leapt aside. Alicia instantly moved and began to run up the spiralling staircase.

She stopped at the door at the top and took a deep breath, her hand on her wand in her pocket just in case.

With a final breath she pushed the door open.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48:

He stood there surprised, whipping around instantly his black greasy hair curtaining his face as it always did. His wand rose instantly but Alicia just stared at him before she closed the door behind her.

"Potter… how did you—"

"That's not important." she said.

Snape looked her over.

"I came to talk to you."

"Talk? You wont be talking when the Dark Lord—"

"But you're not going to call him." Alicia said strongly. "Even when I tell you that Harry's in the castle as well, you wont call him." She wondered what Phineas had told him of her, what she knew, whether he'd keep up the act just in case or not. She couldn't tell.

Snape stared at her.

"It was brave for you to come here."

"Well I had to talk to you."

"Talk?" he was staring her over.

"For one I wanted to thank you."

Snape resolve paused as he looked at her surprised.

"I want to thank you for not telling the Death Eaters about Grimmauld Place. I wanted to thank you for giving us the sword of Gryffindor. I wanted to thank you for keeping an eye on Draco last year and I want to apologise, on behalf of Dumbledore, for what he made you do."

Snape stared at her and she walked forwards towards him. "And thank you for looking after the school best you could. I know he asked you to."

He was silent.

"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone, I don't think anyone else alive besides the two of us knows any of this, just like no one else knows how you really felt for Lily." his eyes almost looked like they shone. "Dumbledore never told me, I worked it out. That's how I knew it was your patronus in the woods that day. I heard your voice too, calling to me, to wake me up. I told Phineas to tell you all this of course." Alicia turned to Dumbledore who was smiling at her.

"She is a brilliant student Severus." he spoke and Snape glanced at him.

"I also wanted to apologise for how everyone's treated you because of the promise you made. I can't imagine…" she paused "I didn't know if there'd be a chance after this. He told you we'd come, and as we have, the people inside Hogwarts are likely to rebel. I didn't know if there'd be a chance to tell you all this after now."

Snape continued to stare at her but he'd dropped his wand now. Alicia watched him, wondering if he'd speak, but as he opened his mouth Alicia's scar burned savagely. She grabbed at her neck and Snape looked down to his arm. He pulled his sleeve back and the two looked at the mark burned into it, blackening it and making it stand out against the skin.

"Harry." Alicia whispered and she closed her eyes to see him. He was in the Ravenclaw common room and before him was Alecto, her finger on the mark.

"Alecto's with him." she whispered.

Snape didn't wait however, he was moving from the room already.

"Wait!" she said as she followed him. "You'll be driven out!"

He seemed to be refusing to talk to her. But then he spoke.

"Go, you shouldn't be seen with me."

"I'd honestly be fine with it." he turned to her.

"I know you're here to do something important. You must stop the Dark Lord. Now go." she blinked before she sighed.

"Thank you Professor." and she turned to run off along the corridor but stopped at the end. "Be careful. And good luck!"

She ran for the seventh floor, going for the room. She ignored as her scar burned painfully again as she leaned on the wall on the seventh floor and it opened immediately. There was a set of stairs and she ran the staircase and into the room finally. It was still packed with people and everyone turned to her as she appeared.

"Voldemort's coming!"

Several people looked scared.

"Where's Harry?" Lupin asked instantly. Alicia paused for a fraction of a second.

"He's with McGonagall and… they're facing Snape!" she said.

Several people muttered as the twins moved closer to her.

"Snape's gone! The Carrows are tied up." she said "The Teachers are putting protections around the school." she listed as she closed her eyes. "Looks like war's coming to Hogwarts."

At this many people cheered and some looked worried.

Within a few moments Harry and Luna came running down the stairs behind her.

"Harry, what's happening?" said Lupin, meeting him at the foot of the stairs.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school — Snape's run for it — What are you doing here? How did you know?"

"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army," Fred explained. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the D.A. let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed."

"What first, Harry?" called George. "What's going on?"

"They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organised," Harry said. "We're fighting."

There was a great roar and a surge toward the foot of the stairs. Alicia stepped back as they ran past, the mingled members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, and the twins' old Quidditch team, all with their wands drawn, heading up into the main castle.

"Come on, Luna," Dean called as he passed, holding out his free hand; she took it and followed him back up the stairs.

The crowd was thinning: Only a little knot of people remained below in the Room of Requirement, and the twins joined them. Mrs. Weasley was struggling with Ginny. Around them stood Mr Weasley, Lupin, Fred, George, Bill, and Fleur.

"You're underage!" Mrs. Weasley shouted at her daughter. "I won't permit it! The boys, yes, but you, you've got to go home!"

"I won't!"

Ginny's hair flew as she pulled her arm out of her mother's grip. "I'm in Dumbledore's Army —"

"A teenagers' gang!"

"A teenagers' gang that's about to take him on, which no one else has dared to do!" said Fred.

"She's sixteen!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "She's not old enough! What you two were thinking, bringing her with you —" Fred and George looked slightly ashamed of themselves.

"Mum's right, Ginny," said Bill gently. "You can't do this. Everyone underage will have to leave, it's only right."

"I can't go home!" Ginny shouted, angry tears sparkling in her eyes. "My whole family's here, I can't stand waiting there alone and not knowing and —" She glanced at the twins, Harry in particular.

"Sending her home wont accomplish anything." Alicia said "Imagine if you were at home not knowing if anyone else would arrive back safely?" she asked, looking at Mrs Weasley.

"Alicia it's about protecting her." Mrs Weasley began frustratedly.

"She's gonna drive herself mad being alone." Alicia believed "it's not fair to send her away. Keep her from the fight, fine but gone?"

"She's not fighting!"

Ginny's eyes met Harry's for the first time. She looked at him beseechingly, but he shook his head and she turned away bitterly.

"Fine," Ginny said, staring at the entrance to the tunnel back to the Hog's Head. "I'll say good-bye now, then, and —"

There was a scuffling and a great thump: Someone else had clambered out of the tunnel, overbalanced slightly, and fallen. He pulled himself up on the nearest chair, looked around through lopsided horn-rimmed glasses, and said, "Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out, so I — I —"

Percy spluttered into silence. Evidently he had not expected to run into most of his family. There was a long moment of astonishment, broken by Fleur turning to Lupin and saying, in a wildly transparent attempt to break the tension, "So — 'ow eez leetle Teddy?"

Lupin blinked at her, startled. The silence between the Weasleys seemed to be solidifying, like ice.

"I — oh yes — he's fine!" Lupin said loudly. "Yes, Tonks is with him — at her mother's —"

Percy and the other Weasleys were still staring at one another, frozen.

"Here, I've got a picture!" Lupin shouted, pulling a photograph from inside his jacket and showing it to Fleur, Alicia and Harry, who saw a tiny baby with a tuft of bright turquoise hair, waving fat fists at the camera.

"I was a fool!" Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. "I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a — a —"

"Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron," said Fred.

Percy swallowed.

"Yes, I was!"

"Well, you can't say fairer than that," said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy.

Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. She ran forward, pushed Fred aside, and pulled Percy into a strangling hug, while he patted her on the back, his eyes on his father.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Percy said.

Mr. Weasley blinked rather rapidly, then he too hurried to hug his son.

"Well, wars I guess bring people together." Alicia sighed.

"What made you see sense, Perce?" inquired George.

"It's been coming on for a while," said Percy, mopping his eyes under his glasses with a corner of his traveling cloak. "But I had to find a way out and it's not so easy at the Ministry, they're imprisoning traitors all the time. I managed to make contact with Aberforth and he tipped me off ten minutes ago that Hogwarts was going to make a fight of it, so here I am."

"Well, we do look to our prefects to take a lead at times such as these," said George in a good imitation of Percy's most pompous manner. "Now let's get upstairs and fight, or all the good Death Eaters'll be taken."

"So, you're my sister-in-law now?" said Percy, shaking hands with Fleur as they hurried off toward the staircase with Bill, and George. Fred however moved over to Alicia.

"Ginny!" barked Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny had been attempting, under cover of the reconciliation, to sneak upstairs too.

"Molly, how about this," said Lupin. "Why doesn't Ginny stay here, then at least she'll be on the scene and know what's going on, but she won't be in the middle of the fighting?"

"I —"

"That's a good idea," said Mr. Weasley firmly. "Ginny, you stay in this room, you hear me?"

Ginny did not seem to like the idea much, but under her father's unusually stern gaze, she nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Lupin headed off for the stairs as well.

"Listen Alicia—" Fred began

"I know you're sorry." she said "And it'd be a silly thing to stay mad at you for given not everyone's gonna come out of this." she took a deep breath "It was just how I was cut off from you for so long, not knowing anything, when I had told myself it wouldn't be that way. I was worried and I'm sorry."

"You forgive me?" he asked, almost looking surprised.

"As long as you survive." she added before she reached up and kissed him. "Don't you dare die on me Fred Weasley."

"Same goes for you. By the way will you hold onto something for me?" he reached into his robes and gave her a velvet box. "Be careful." he whispered, kissing her again before he disappeared up the stairs. Alicia looked down to see the ring box before she flared up.

"You're supposed to be romantic and be on one knee you lazy blathering—" she shouted angrily and Fred's laugh echoed down the staircase. Harry couldn't help but chuckle too before he turned to Ginny.

"Where's Ron?" asked Harry. "Where's Hermione?"

"They must have gone up to the Great Hall already,"

"I didn't see them pass me," said Harry.

"They said something about a bathroom," said Ginny, "not long after you left."

"A bathroom?"

Harry strode across the room to an open door leading off the Room of Requirement and checked the bathroom beyond. It was empty.

"You're sure they said bath — ?"

Alicia hissed as the scars seared. He was just outside.

Time was up Alicia looked at Harry they had little time, he was here, and war was about to break out.

Alicia looked down at the box in her hands before she tucked it away and looked at Harry with determination.

Everything ended here.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49:

The enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall was dark and scattered with stars, and below it the four long House tables were lined with disheveled students, some in traveling cloaks, others in dressing gowns. Here and there shone the pearly white figures of the school ghosts. Every eye, living and dead, was fixed upon Professor McGonagall, who was speaking from the raised platform at the top of the Hall. Behind her stood the remaining teachers, including the palomino centaur, Firenze, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix who had arrived to fight.

"…evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organise your House and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point."

Many of the students looked petrified.

"Where are they?" Harry asked Alicia as they skirted the walls.

"They're in the bathroom."

"What Bathroom?"

"We need something to destroy horcruxes with Harry." she whispered "Well there's a dead basilisk downstairs with fangs to spare." he looked at her surprised.

Ernie Macmillan stood up at the Hufflepuff table and shouted, "And what if we want to stay and fight?"

There was a smattering of applause.

"If you are of age, you may stay," said Professor McGonagall.

"What about our things?" called a girl at the Ravenclaw table. "Our trunks, our owls?"

"We have no time to collect possessions," said Professor McGonagall. "The important thing is to get you out of here safely."

"Where's Professor Snape?" shouted a girl from the Slytherin table.

"He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk," replied Professor McGonagall, and a great cheer erupted from the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws.

The twins moved along the Gryffindor table and faces turned to the two of them, causing whispering to break out in their wake.

"We have already placed protection around the castle," Professor McGonagall was saying, "but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects —"

But her final words were drowned as a different voice echoed throughout the Hall. It was high, cold, and clear: There was no telling from where it came; it seemed to issue from the walls them- selves. Like the monster it had once commanded, it might have lain dormant there for centuries.

"I know that you are preparing to fight." There were screams amongst the students, some of whom clutched each other, looking around in terror for the source of the sound. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

There was silence in the Hall now, the kind of silence that presses against the eardrums, that seems too huge to be contained by walls.

"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.

"You have until midnight."

The silence swallowed them all again. Every head turned, every eye in the place seemed to have found Harry beside Alicia, to hold him frozen in the glare of thousands of invisible beams. Then a figure rose from the Slytherin table to be recognised as Pansy Parkinson as she raised a shaking arm and screamed, "But he's there! Potter's _there_! Someone grab him!"

Alicia moved forward to the Gryffindor table, stepped up the bench and then again to stand on top of the table glaring at the girl.

At her lead there was a massive movement. The Gryffindors in front of Harry and around Alicia had risen and stood facing, not Harry, but the Slytherins. Then the Hufflepuffs stood, and almost at the same moment, the Ravenclaws, all of them with their backs to Harry, all of them looking toward Pansy instead, wands emerging everywhere, pulled from beneath cloaks and from under sleeves.

"You wanna say that again Porkinson?" Alicia demanded angrily, standing above everyone else, her voice echoing around the room.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow."

The benches ground as the Slytherins stood and trooped from the hall.

"Ravenclaws, follow on!" cried Professor McGonagall.

Slowly the four tables emptied. The Slytherin table was completely deserted, but a number of older Ravenclaws remained seated while their fellows filed out; even more Hufflepuffs stayed behind, and half of Gryffindor remained in their seats, necessitating Professor McGonagall's descent from the teachers' platform to chivvy the underage on their way.

"Absolutely not, Creevey, go! _And_ you, Peakes!"

Alicia stepped down from the table as Kingsley stepped forward on the raised platform to address those who had remained behind.

"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest towers — Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor — where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus" — he indicated Lupin — "Arthur" — he pointed toward Mr. Weasley, sitting at the Gryffindor table — "and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organise defence of the entrances of the passageways into the school —"

"Sounds like a job for us," called Fred, indicating to himself and George, and Kingsley nodded his approval.

"All right, leaders up here and we'll divide up the troops!"

"Potter," said Professor McGonagall, hurrying up to him, as students flooded the platform, jostling for position, receiving instructions, " _Aren'_ _t you supposed to be looking for something_?"

"What? Oh," said Harry, "oh yeah!"

"Come on." Alicia said and she took his hand.

"Then go, Potter, go!" McGonagall said

"Right — yeah —" and Alicia pulled him away.

"Where do we start?" Harry asked as they went into the entrance hall and allowed themselves to be swept up Marble Staircase.

"Well, for one, Voldemort thought you'd go to Ravenclaw tower didn't he, that's why Alecto was there right?" she asked him and he nodded.

"Then it has to be something to do with Ravenclaw. He must have found the Diadem."

"But it's lost."

"Doesn't mean it can't be found." Alicia said "The next thing to focus on, is where he hid it?" she said thinking. _I mean if you were going to hide something…_ she said thinking.

"But how did he find it? How was it possible that Voldemort, the Slytherin, had found the diadem that had eluded generations of Ravenclaws? Who could have told him where to look, when nobody had seen the diadem in living memory?" he asked. He stopped and looked at her.

"In living memory." he repeated.

Alicia however wasn't looking at him she looked surprised.

"Alicia, I know what to do." he said and he turned to run off away from her.

"Me too." she realised.

 _If you wanted to hide something in the castle, where did you do?_ "The the place were all things are hidden." she mumbled. ' _He alone knew where in Hogwarts he had stowed the Horcrux, because he alone had plumbed the deepest secrets of that place_ _…'_

"A secret place, where everything was hidden."

Alicia's breath quickened and like her brother she tore off, but in a different direction.

But she had forgotten. The Students were all marching toward the Room of Requirement. The underage students were going into it then out through the tunnel to the Hog's Head. Prefects were shouting instructions, trying to keep track of the students in their own Houses; there was much pushing and shoving. Zacharias Smith bowled over first-years to get to the front of the queue; here and there younger students were in tears, while older ones called desperately for friends or siblings…

Alicia got into the Room of Requirement, pushed her way through the line of slytherins who'd reading the room first in order to climb the stairs. A few made grabs for her and shot insults but with a wave of her wand they were silenced and she got into the room before they did. Ginny was still there as she should be, and was helping to line the students and organise them out through the tunnel.

"We need to speed this up." Alicia said instantly to her.

"Why?"

"I need the room." she said and she began to shout orders and people looked at her surprised.

"Yes I'm Alicia Potter, not get your asses out of the castle!" She shouted in frustration.

The students began to flow past her, climbing up and disappearing through the new passageway.

It seemed to take forever to get the students out, but at the same time, no time at all. Looking at her watch the time clicked closer and closer. Five minutes to Midnight.

All the students got clear as the clock struck twelve and sound of bangs, crashes, screams and cries echoed from far beyond the Room of Requirement. The students were finally all gone and the room was empty besides Ginny and Alicia.

"Well! I suppose you think it's funny to use my pub a rain station." the two girls turned to see Abeforth climb through.

"Would you rather they stayed here and died?" Alicia asked annoyed. "What are you doing here? Decided it's worth fighting after all."

"Someone's gotta be mad enough to." he said

"Guess it's good we're all mad then." she said before the man turned and ran off from the room to join the fight, mumbling about stubborn and rebellious children.

Ginny and Alicia were the only two in the room now and Alicia turned to her.

"So, guess it's your lucky day." Ginny looked at her "I need the room to change and for that, I need you to leave." Ginny beamed

"But," the girl faltered and Alicia moved to her to place her hands on Ginny's shoulders. "Please, please, please be careful. If something happened to you, because I asked you to leave—" Alicia pursed her lips and Ginny rolled her eyes. "No seriously, I don't think I'd ever forgive myself, I'd constantly wish I'd gotten you to stay with me instead. And I'd never be able to look your family members in the eye, nor would I ever be able to apologise enough to Harry." she said honestly. "You're too important Ginny, so promise me." she said.

Ginny smiled and pulled Alicia into a hug.

"I promise Alicia. Besides, I can't leave you and Hermione to deal with my family alone." Alicia chuckled slightly.

The two turned as there was a clattering and they turned to see another women climbing through the hole from the Hog's Head. Her purple hair proceeded first and then Tonks grinned at them.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Alicia demanded and Tonks looked surprised "You can't have both you and Lupin here! What about Teddy! What if something happened to you both."

"He'll know that—"

"I grew up without anyone Tonks don't you dare give some noble speech." Alicia snapped angrily. Tonks smiled and move over to the girl. She placed a hand on her cheek.

"You grew up alone Alicia, but I know, that if anything happens to me and Remus, Teddy wont have that. You and Harry for one will make sure of it."

"He already lost a grandfather Tonks, he can't loose his parents too, you should go home." Alicia believed but Tonks shook her head.

"I'm an Auror, it's my job to fight dark wizards. I'm also a part of the Order, it's my duty to assist others."

"You're also a mother and in my opinion your duty should be to your son first." Alicia reminded her "And we both know Remus will kill you." she said simply. Tonks chuckled and kissed Alicia's head.

"Look after him for me."

"I wont have to." Alicia said crossing her arms. "Teddy needs a mother and Remus is the last connection to my parents, I'd rather see you both when this is all over." Tonks nodded.

There was another clattering and another women moved through the hole. This time it was an elderly women with a moth eaten hat on her head.

"Mrs Longbottom." Alicia noticed, slightly surprised. "We heard you were on the run."

"Yes well, I heard of the commotion here and knew it was my duty to lend a hand." she said as she straightened herself up.

"Neville will be pleased." Alicia smiled

"What is happening then?" she asked her

"There's a fight but that's all I'm aware of right now." Alicia admitted.

"Alicia!" the girl turned to find Harry moving into the room with Hermione and Ron behind him.

"Ah, Potter," Mrs Longbottom addressed crisply as if she had been waiting for him. "You can tell us what's going on."

"Is everyone okay?" said Ginny and Tonks together.

" 'S far as we know," said Harry. "Are there still people in the passage to the Hog's Head?"

"I don't think so." Alicia said

"I was the last to come through," said Mrs. Longbottom. "I sealed it, I think it unwise to leave it open now Aberforth has left his pub. Have you seen my grandson?"

"He's fighting," said Harry.

"Naturally," said the old lady proudly. "Excuse me, I must go and assist him."

With surprising speed she trotted off toward the stone steps. Harry looked at Tonks.

"I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at your mother's?"

He looked at his sister who started grumbling and Tonks smiled at her fondly.

"I couldn't stand not knowing —" Tonks looked anguished. "She'll look after him — have you seen Remus?"

"He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds —"

Without another word, Tonks sped off.

"Did you get them?" Alicia asked the Hermione and Ron and they nodded before showing the number of fangs in their arms.

"Excellent, and the cup?" Ron pulled it from his pocket and she beamed.

"That means only a few left."

"And I know where the diadem is." Harry said

"I know, it's here. Where everything is hidden." he looked at her surprised but she turned to Ginny.

"You're gonna have to leave now."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but we need you to leave too. Just for a bit. Then you can come back in."

Ginny looked simply delighted to leave her sanctuary.

"'Sorry', like you want to be here." Alicia mumbled to Ginny who giggled.

"And then you can come back in!" Harry shouted after her as she ran up the steps after Tonks. " _You_ _'_ _ve got to come back in_!"

"Good luck Harry, she's gone." Alicia said watching her.

"Hang on a moment!" said Ron sharply. "We've forgotten someone!"

"Who?" asked Hermione.

"The house-elves, they'll all be down in the kitchen, won't they?"

"You mean we ought to get them fighting?" asked Harry.

"No," said Ron seriously, "I mean we should tell them to get out. We don't want any more Dobbies, do we? We can't order them to die for us —"

There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione's arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet.

Alicia stood absolutely shocked at the sudden emotion, as though frozen, linking in surprise, before she couldn't help it and she started laughing.

Harry seemed to feel the opposite.

"Is this the moment?" Harry asked weakly, and when nothing happened except that Ron and Hermione gripped each other still more firmly and swayed on the spot, he raised his voice. "OI! There's a war going on here!"

Ron and Hermione broke apart, their arms still around each other.

"I know, mate," said Ron, who looked as though he had recently been hit on the back of the head with a Bludger, "so it's now or never, isn't it?"

"Never mind that, what about the Horcrux?" Harry shouted. "D'you think you could just — just hold it in until we've got the diadem?"

Alicia laughed even harder.

"Yeah — right — sorry —" said Ron, and he and Hermione set about gathering up fangs, both pink in the face.

"Give 'em a rest Harry." Alicia said between her giggles. "I mean it's about time." Hermione and Ron blushed a little more as Alicia lead the way from the room and back into the corridor.


	50. Chapter 50

**Try not to cry.**

* * *

Chapter 50:

It was clear, as the three of them stepped back into the corridor upstairs, that a lot had happened during Alicia's time in the Room of Requirement. The situation within the castle had deteriorated severely: The walls and ceiling were shaking terribly; dust filled the air, and through the nearest window, there were bursts of green and red light so close to the foot of the castle that the Death Eaters must be very near to entering the place. Looking down, Grawp the giant could be seen meandering past, swinging what looked like a stone gargoyle torn from the roof and roaring his displeasure.

"Let's hope he steps on some of them!" said Ron as more screams echoed from close by.

"As long as it's not any of our lot!" said a voice: Ginny and Tonks, both with their wands drawn at the next window, which was missing several panes were also looking down at the scene. Ginny sent a well-aimed jinx into a crowd of fighters below.

"Good girl!" roared a figure running through the dust toward them. It was Aberforth again, his grey hair flying as he led a small group of students past. "They look like they might be breaching the north battlements, they've brought giants of their own!"

"Have you seen Remus?" Tonks called after him.

"He was duelling Dolohov," shouted Aberforth, "haven't seen him since!"

"Tonks," said Ginny, "Tonks, I'm sure he's okay —"

But Tonks had run off into the dust after Aberforth.

Ginny turned, helpless, to Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione.

"They'll be all right," said Harry.

But Alicia didn't feel confident.

"Ginny, we'll be back in a moment, just keep out of the way, keep safe — come on!" Harry said to Alicia, Ron and Hermione, and they ran back to the stretch of wall beyond which the Room of Requirement was waiting to do the bidding of the next entrant.

 _I need the place where everything is hidden,_ Alicia begged with every stride, backwards and forwards, before the door materialised on their third run past.

The furore of the battle died the moment they crossed the threshold and closed the door behind them: All was silent. They were in a place the size of a cathedral with the appearance of a city, its towering walls built of objects hidden by thousands of long-gone students.

"And he never realised _anyone_ could get in?" said Ron, his voice echoing in the silence.

"He thought he was the only one," said Harry. "Too bad for him I've had to hide stuff in my time…"

"He's so stupid for someone suppose to be brilliant, I mean Draco used this room with the Vanishing Cabinet and he never realised." Alicia said looking irritated and mocking at the same time.

"This way," Harry said "I think it's down here…"

They passed the stuffed troll and the Vanishing Cabinet Draco Malfoy had mended last year, looking up and down aisles of junk. Harry it seemed couldn't remember where to go.

" _Accio Diadem_!" cried Hermione in desperation, but nothing flew through the air toward them. It seemed that, like the vault at Gringotts, the room would not yield its hidden objects that easily.

"Let's split up," Harry told the other three. "Look for a stone bust of an old man wearing a wig and a tiara! It's standing on a cupboard and it's definitely somewhere near here…"

They sped off up adjacent aisles, their footsteps all echoing.

Alicia closed her eyes as she paused and simply listened for a minute before she began to walk. She passed all sorts of junk in the towering pikes; bottles, hats, crates, chairs, books, weapons, broomsticks, bats…

Alicia followed the nagging at her and the feeling that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up grew more and more so. She turned a corner before a voice sounded through the echoing silence.

"Hold it, Potter."

It was Malfoy's voice.

Alicia paused as she pulled her wand out and began to ease her way towards the voice.

"That's my wand you're holding, Potter," said Malfoy

"Not anymore," Harry's voice sounded. "Winners, keepers, Malfoy. Who's lent you theirs?"

"My mother," said Draco.

Harry laughed, though it held little humour.

Alicia paused as she came to the end of her line and she peered around the edge. Draco was standing there, his hair as pale blonde as ever, and before him was Crabbe and Goyle, their shoulder's pressed close together and shielding Malfoy.

"So how come you three aren't with Voldemort?" asked Harry.

"We're gonna be rewarded," said Crabbe: His voice was surprisingly soft for such an enormous person "We 'ung back, Potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to 'im."

"Good plan," said Harry in mock admiration. Alicia saw Harry moved backwards slightly. She could only just see him past the three Slytherins but she could also feel the Horcrux nearby. Harry must be near it, and he must know it too.

"So how did you get in here?" he asked, trying to distract them.

"I virtually lived in the Room of Hidden Things all last year," said Malfoy, his voice brittle. "I know how to get in."

"We was hiding in the corridor outside," grunted Goyle. "We can do Disslusion Charms now! And then," his face split into a gormless grin, "you turned up right in front of us and said you was looking for a die-dum! What's a die-dum?"

"Harry?" Ron's voice echoed suddenly from the other side of the wall and Alicia turned annoyed. "Are you talking to someone?"

With a whiplike movement, Crabbe pointed his wand at the fifty-foot mountain of old furniture, of broken trunks, of old books and robes and unidentifiable junk, and shouted, " _Descendo_!"

The wall began to totter, then the top third crumbled into the aisle next door where Ron stood.

"Ron!" Harry bellowed, as somewhere out of sight Hermione screamed, and Harry heard innumerable objects crashing to the floor on the other side of the destabilised wall: He pointed his wand at the rampart, cried, " _Finite_!" and it steadied.

Alicia turned instantly, out of her hiding place with her wand pointed, a jet of light shot from her and hit Goyle in the back. He collapsed over, stunned, as she vanished behind the wall again. Malfoy and Crabbe turned but missed her as she was already gone.

"You hiding then Alicia!" Crabbe sneered her name.

"Not like you could hit me if I wasn't." Alicia responded "Your brain doesn't work well enough for accuracy."

Crabbe must've made a move to do another spell for Malfoy's voice echoed loudly.

"No!" shouted Malfoy. "If you wreck the room you might bury this diadem thing!"

"What's that matter?" said Crabbe, tugging himself free. "It's Potter the Dark Lord wants, who cares about a die-dum?"

"Potter came in here to get it," said Malfoy with ill-disguised impatience at the slow-wittedness of his colleagues, "so that must mean —"

" 'Must mean'?" Crabbe turned on Malfoy with undisguised ferocity. "Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, _Draco._ You an' your dad are finished."

"You might want to worry about the Diadem." Alicia said "It was hidden in this room by our precious Dark Lord. Hey Draco, remember how angry Voldemort was when we stole the cup from your aunt's Vault? And how angry he was when he learned your father threw away that diary and it got destroyed?" there was silence as she smirked. "This Diadem's just important. You know you'd be rewarded even more for getting it back to your master. More so than if you brought him Harry." Alicia chuckled "Too bad you're too stupid to know what a Diadem is."

"Harry?" shouted Ron again, from the other side of the junk wall. "What's going on?"

"Harry?" mimicked Crabbe. "What's going — _no,_ Potter! _Crucio_!"

Alicia peaked out from her place to see Harry had launched for an ugly stone bust. Crabbe's curse missed Harry and hit the stone bust instead. Alicia saw the diadem upon it as it was soared upward and dropped out of sight within the gas of objects which the bust had rested.

"STOP!" Malfoy shouted at Crabbe, his voice echoing through the enormous room. "The Dark Lord wants him alive —"

"So? I'm not killing him, am I?" yelled Crabbe, throwing off Malfoy's restraining arm. "But if I can, I will, the Dark Lord wants him dead anyway, what's the diff — ?"

A jet of scarlet light shot past Harry by inches: Hermione had run around the corner behind him and sent a Stunning Spell straight at Crabbe's head. It only missed because Malfoy pulled him out of the way.

"It's that Mudblood! _Avada Kedavra_!"

Hermione dove aside, and Alicia was filled with anger.

"Don't you dare!" she shouted and both she and Harry shot a stunning spell at Crabbe, who lurched out of the way, knocking Malfoy's wand out of his hand; it rolled out of sight beneath a mountain of broken furniture and boxes.

"Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!" Malfoy yelled at Crabbe who was aiming at Harry.

Malfoy jumped out of range of Hermione's second Stunning Spell, and Ron, appearing suddenly at the end of the aisle beside Alicia, shot a full Body-Bind Curse at Crabbe, which narrowly missed.

Crabbe wheeled around and screamed, " _Avada Kedavra_!" again. Ron and Alicia both leapt out of sight to avoid the jet of green light. The wandless Malfoy cowered behind a three-legged wardrobe as Hermione charged toward them.

"It's somewhere here!" Harry yelled and Alicia looked up. "Look for it while I go and help R —"

"HARRY!" she screamed.

Alicia looked shocked and she grabbed Ron up from the floor before they two turned and ran down the isle and towards Harry and Hermione.

"Like it hot, scum?" roared Crabbe as he ran.

But he seemed to have no control over what he had done. Flames of abnormal size were pursuing them, licking up the sides of the junk bulwarks, which were crumbling to soot at their touch.

" _Aguamenti_!" Harry bawled, but the jet of water that soared from the tip of his wand evaporated in the air.

"Fiendfyre!" Alicia shouted "Cursed fire! It can't be doused!" she shouted at her brother.

"RUN!"

Malfoy grabbed the Stunned Goyle and dragged him along; Crabbe outstripped all of them, now looking terrified; Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione pelted along in his wake, and the fire pursued them.

"What is it?" Harry demanded of Alicia.

"It's cursed fire. It burns and eats away at everything it can! It's nearly impossible to control!" she shouted back "It's spirits of fire! It has a mind of it's own!"

As they turned a corner the flames chased them as though they were alive, sentient, intent upon killing them. Now the fire was mutating, forming a gigantic pack of fiery beasts: Flaming serpents, chimaeras, and dragons rose and fell and rose again, and the detritus of centuries on which they were feeding was thrown up in the air into their fanged mouths, tossed high on clawed feet, before being consumed by the inferno.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had vanished from view: Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione stopped dead; the fiery monsters were circling them, drawing closer and closer, claws and horns and tails lashed, and the heat was solid as a wall around them.

"What can we do?" Hermione screamed over the deafening roars of the fire. "What can we do?"

"Wait!" Alicia said and she grabbed her bag and reached into it. The three watched as she pulled out Ron's Cleansweeper, and Harry and her Firebolts.

"Where did you got those?!" Ron demanded as he took his broom in surprise.

"I packed them before we ever left the Burrow, before the Wedding. I've had Harry's since we left Privet Drive, before we even turned seventeen." she grinned, even laughing slightly, as she perched on her broom, throwing her leg over it.

Ron pulled Hermione onto his broom behind him, Harry swung his leg over his and, with hard kicks to the ground, they soared up into the air, missing by feet the horned beak of a flaming raptor that snapped its jaws at them.

The smoke and heat were becoming overwhelming: Below them the cursed fire was consuming the contraband of generations of hunted students, the guilty outcomes of a thousand banned experiments, the secrets of the countless souls who had sought refuge in the room. There seemed no trace of Malfoy, Crabbe, or Goyle anywhere: Harry seemed to be searching for them as he swooped as low as he dared over the marauding monsters of flame to try to find them, but there was nothing but fire.

"Harry, let's get out, let's get out!" bellowed Ron, though it was impossible to see where the door was through the black smoke.

Alicia heard it as Harry did, a thin, piteous human scream from amidst the terrible commotion, the thunder of devouring flame.

"It's — too — dangerous —!" Ron yelled, but both twins had wheeled in the air.

They searched the the firestorm below, seeking a sign of life, a limb or a face that was not yet charred like wood…

And there they were. Malfoy with his arms around the unconscious Goyle, the pair of them perched on a fragile tower of charred desks, and Harry dived. Malfoy saw him coming and raised one arm, but even as Harry grasped it he knew at once that it was no good: Goyle was too heavy and Malfoy's hand, covered in sweat, slid instantly out of Harry's —

"You get one I'll get the other!" Alicia shouted to Harry.

And she dove down as well.

"IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!" roared Ron's voice, and, as a great flaming chimaera bore down upon them. Ron moved beside Alicia and Hermione held the girl heave Goyle onto Alicia's broom. She grabbed the handle in one hand and Goyle's waistband in the other as Malfoy clambered up behind Harry.

"The door, get to the door, the door!" screamed Malfoy. Alicia pelted after Ron and Hermione with Harry behind her.

" _What are you doing, what are you doing, the door_ _'_ _s that way_!" screamed Malfoy. Alicia glanced back to see Harry make a hairpin swerve and dived.

"Harry!" she shouted stopping. She coughed as she drew in too much smoke. But even through the smoke she saw what Harry was after, around them the last few objects unburned by the devouring flames were flung into the air, as the creatures of the cursed fire cast them high in celebration: cups and shields, a sparkling necklace, and an old, discoloured tiara —

The Diadem fell, turning and glittering as it dropped toward the maw of a yawning serpent, and then he had it, caught it around his wrist —

Alicia turned and shot off as Harry swerved again and shot of after her.

The door stood open, through the smoke as a rectangular patch. Ron and Hermione had already vanished through it and Malfoy was holding Harry in fright being Alicia as she shot her way out of it. Clean air filled her lungs and she pulled the broom to a sharp turn and a halt before dropping to the floor with Goyle, who was still unconscious. She coughed a few times, glad to have the clean air in her lungs as Harry and Malfoy shot over her head. Unlike her they smashed into the corridor wall and both fell to the floor below.

Malfoy was face down, gasping and coughing, retching. Harry rolled over and sat up just as the door to the Room of Requirement vanished. Ron and Hermione sat panting on the floor.

"C-Crabbe," choked Malfoy as soon as he could speak. "C-Crabbe…"

"He's dead," said Ron harshly.

"Stupid idiot, trying such a deadly spell!" Alicia hissed angrily. Still, it was a terrible way to go.

There was silence, apart from panting and coughing. Then a number of huge bangs shook the castle, and a great cavalcade of transparent figures galloped past on horses, their heads screaming with bloodlust under their arms. Harry staggered to his feet when the Headless Hunt had passed. The battle was still going on around them and there were more screams than those of the retreating ghosts.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry said sharply. "She was here. She was supposed to be going back into the Room of Requirement."

"I told you that wouldn't happen." Alicia said taking a breath before standing up too. She moved and collected the three brooms, shoving them back into her bag.

"Blimey, d'you reckon it'll still work after that fire?" asked Ron, but he too got to his feet, rubbing

his chest and looking left and right. "Shall we split up and look — ?"

"No," said Hermione, getting to her feet too. Malfoy and Goyle remained slumped hopelessly on the corridor floor; neither of them had wands. "Let's stick together. I say we go — Harry, what's that on your arm?"

"What? Oh yeah —"

He pulled the diadem from his wrist and held it up. It was still blackened with soot. A bloodlike substance, dark and tarry, seemed to be leaking from the diadem. Suddenly the thing broke apart in Harry's hands, and as it did so, there seemed the faintest, most distant scream of pain, echoing not from the grounds or the castle, but from the thing that had just fragmented in his fingers.

"Fiendfyre." Alicia said nodding and Hermione agreed, whimpering as she looked at the broken pieces.

"Sorry?"

"Fiendfyre — cursed fire — it's one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it's so dangerous — how did Crabbe know how to — ?"

"Must've learned from the Carrows," said Harry grimly.

"Shame he wasn't concentrating when they mentioned how to stop it, really," said Ron, whose hair, like Hermione's, was singed, and whose face was blackened. "If he hadn't tried to kill us all, I'd be quite sorry he was dead."

"But don't you realise?" whispered Hermione. "This means, if we can just get the snake —"

But she broke off as yells and shouts and the unmistakable noises of duelling filled the corridor.

Alicia turned and her heart fell instantly. Worry filled ever piece of her. Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts. Fred and Percy had just backed into view, both of them duelling masked and hooded men.

Alicia was first to move to help the two Weasleys and she blocked a spell aimed at Fred.

"Hello my Dear." he grinned at her as Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran forward to help. She rolled her eyes before she shot a spell and one of the Death Eaters was blasted backwards. Jets of light flew in every direction and the man duelling Percy backed off, fast: Then his hood slipped and they saw a high forehead and streaked hair —

"Hello, Minister!" bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce!" shouted Fred as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of three separate Stunning Spells. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with tiny spikes erupting all over him; he seemed to be turning into some form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy with glee.

"You actually _are_ joking, Perce… I don't think I've heard you joke since you were —"

"Look out!" Alicia shrieked at the top of her voice, it breaking in her fear.

The air exploded. They had been grouped together, Harry, Alicia, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and Percy, the two Death Eaters at their feet, one Stunned, the other Transfigured; and in that fragment of a moment, when danger seemed temporarily at bay, the world was rent apart.

Alicia's wand hand acted on instinct as she reached for where Fred had been. She was blasted off her feet and collided with the softness of his body. She gripped her wand in front of her desperately, her other arm out to protect her face. There were screams around her from the others as they too were thrown away, none knowing what had happened to them.

And then there was stillness. Alicia felt a terrible pain in her arm and her abdomen. She felt, who she figured, was Fred beside her as she was covered in rocks and dust, buried slightly. The Corridor had been subjected to a terrible attack. Cold air explained that the side of the castle had been blown away. Alicia felt hot stickiness on her body and clothes as her right arm ached from her shoulder to her elbow.

She coughed and tried to move, she managed to push a rather large rock off of her but she contracted as she went to sit up. Something was wrong with her chest. She wouldn't have been surprised if she'd broken a few ribs or something. She managed to look down at her arm and saw it was bleeding, a gash just below her shoulder.

She whimpered at the aches, stings, burns and pains through her body but ignored them, she turned beside her, to the body that had held her as they were blown off their feet. She had to know, had to check, had to see, to be sure…

The red hair was beside her, and Fred's face stuck out of the dust and rubble. And dread filled her, every part of her went numb, but still she could feel as if her entire existent was breaking, ripping, the ground beneath her seemed to vanish and everything was gone, everything had broken, there seemed nothing left as she stared at him.

Fred then shook his head and coughed.

Alicia stared at him for a moment, as if she had imagined it but Fred looked around as if in a disarray for a moment and then looked down at her. He held her gaze, as if making sure she was there as well before he moved an arm and placed it on her cheek, just to be sure she was really real. It was as if he had feared for her as she had for him, and she knew he had.

When he seemed to have decided he wasn't dreaming and he wasn't imagining, he grinned.

"What would I do without you?"

Alicia took a breath and let her head fall back down as relief washed over her. He had been so still for that fraction of a second, seemed not right, that in that instant, in the calamity they were in, she had feared the worst.

"Never do that to me again." she managed to whisper.

* * *

 **I never said whether you'd cry in happiness and sadness.**

 **I will not apologise.**


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51:

"Alicia!" Harry's voice sounded through the rubble and mess. Alicia took a breath as his voice brought comfort before she winced as she went to move. A quick cry came from her and Fred look down. He noticed she was covered in blood, and hardly moving. She seemed unable to get herself up.

"Come on." he whispered and moved to help her upwards. She groaned and whimpered with every movement.

"Alicia!" Harry was before her and he noticed her state as well. He didn't seem nearly as injured as she was.

"Anyone got some Kkele-Gro?" she whispered. She could feel her bones disagreeing with her movement, the ribs in her chest especially as Fred held her up. Her arm seemed just to be deeply cut and therefore painful to move.

"I do." Hermione responded as she was rummaging in her bag. Within a few moments she had a cup in her hand filled with the stuff and Alicia skulled it down, ignoring the taste.

"I definitely came out worse for wear with that one." Hermione moved to her arm and dropped dittany on it quickly, for it to reseal.

"Well, who knows what worse could have happened." Fred said.

"You're welcome." she said as she leaned into him and he placed another arm around her, holding her tight. She hummed in his comfort.

"Where's Ron!?" Hermione asked.

The four all turned and they found him, moving apart rubble and seeming to be digging. Alicia looked around, Percy was missing.

"Percy." she whispered, and she went to move put couldn't. Fred sat her down and instantly the three of them were helping Ron.

Percy was laying below the rubble, his eyes stared upwards through his horn-rimmed glasses, looking, but not seeing.

"Percy!" Fred shouted. Ron shook his brother.

"Percy!"

Alicia sat, just a bit away from them, unable to move without collapsing, to join them, trying to wake up the Weasley. Percy had finally come home, he'd finally reconciled and was where he belonged. He couldn't be gone after that? There was still stuff he had to do!

But it seemed inevitable as Ron and Fred sat at their brother's side, that that was the truth of it.

And Alicia felt dread. In that moment of danger every part of her went to protecting what was important to her, her mind, always able to stay stable in those moments, had acted, but her actions had let her down. She'd protected Fred, taking most of the damage herself, but she couldn't even manage to protect Percy as well? How could she not have done better?

Tears were pouring down her face, how could she have let this happen?

She was drawn from her guilt and grief as a body fell past the hole blown into the side of the school, and curses flew in at them from the darkness, hitting the wall behind their heads.

"Get down!" Harry shouted, as more curses flew through the night: He and Ron had both grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the floor.

Alicia cried as she threw herself down out of the way and everything in her protested from the movement.

She rose her head as anger began to fill her, not just at those interfering but at herself and her wand flourished. She aimed the curse at the base of the spells direction and there was another large explosion, bringing a halt to the curses. She managed to sit herself up, the movement bringing more tears, this time of pain, to her eyes.

"We need to get Percy out of here!" she shouted.

Hermione screamed, and turning it was not hard to see why. A monstrous spider the size of a small car was trying to climb through the huge hole in the wall: One of Aragog's descendants had joined the fight.

Ron and Harry shouted together; their spells collided and the monster was blown backward, its legs jerking horribly, and vanished into the darkness.

"It brought friends!" Harry called to the others, glancing over the edge of the castle through the hole in the wall the curses had blasted.

Alicia began to get herself up to her feet, her legs seemed to work just enough, it was just getting to the standing position and her torso allowing itself to stay upright. The Skele-gro wouldn't have completely worked its magic for a few hours, but she couldn't just stop, she had work to do.

Hermione looked at her and ran over, helping her stay up.

"Fred, Harry, grab Percy." she demanded instantly. Ron and Fred grabbed their brother and Harry took up the opportunity to fire stunning spells to protect them. Alicia directed Hermione and they moved. At the same moment more curses came soaring over Harry's head, so close he felt the force of them blow his hair.

"Let's move, NOW!"

They moved to a niche where a suit of armour had stood earlier and Percy's body was placed within it, protected for now.

Hermione was helped with Alicia by Harry and Ron followed down the corridor and out of the way with Fred. Malfoy and Goyle had vanished, but at the end of the corridor, which was now full of dust and falling masonry, glass long gone from the windows, were many people running backward and forward, whether friends or foes one could not tell.

Rounding the corner, Fred suddenly let out a bull-like roar: "ROOKWOOD!" and sprinted off in the direction of a tall man, who was pursuing a couple of students.

"NO! FRED!" Alicia screamed, terrified of him leaving her sight. She knew they'd just scraped a close call by the damage she'd received and that was with a shield charm in the way… what if that was the last moment?

"Harry, in here!" Hermione screamed. She help Alicia behind a Tapestry and Ron, forced by Harry, was pulled in. They seemed to be wrestling together as Harry restrained Ron, stopping him from running off after Fred.

"Listen to me — _LISTEN, RON_!"

"I wanna help — I wanna kill Death Eaters —"

His face was contorted, smeared with dust and smoke, and he was shaking with rage and grief.

"Ron, we're the only ones who can end it! Please — Ron — we need the snake, we've got to kill the snake!" said Hermione.

Horcrux hunting however, would not bring any satisfaction that revenge could, and it seemed that was all Ron felt. Alicia felt useless she could hardly move by herself. Or maybe she just wasn't pushing hard enough?

"We _will_ fight!" Hermione said. "We'll have to, to reach the snake! But let's not lose sight now of what we're supposed to be d-doing! We're the only ones who can end it!"

She was crying too, and she wiped her face on her torn and singed sleeve as she spoke, but she took great heaving breaths to calm herself as she also grabbed a hold of Ron, leaving Alicia to lean on the wall. She turned to Harry however, finished trying to reason with Ron.

"You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he'll have the snake with him, won't he? Do it, Harry — look inside him!"

With the burn in her neck, now half the pain of the damage her body had taken, Alicia knew it was all too easy to do and as Harry looked at her, she too closed her eyes. She needed to do something, and while her body was unhappy, her mind was full ready to do what it did best.

The screams and the bangs and all the discordant sounds of the battle were drowned until they became distant, as though they stood far, far away from them…

She was standing in the middle of a desolate but strangely familiar room, with peeling paper on the walls and all the windows boarded except for one. The sounds of the assault on the castle were muffled and distant. The single unblocked window revealed distant bursts of light where the castle stood, but inside the room it was dark except for a solitary oil lamp.

He was rolling his wand between his fingers, watching it, his thoughts on the room in the castle, the secret room only he had ever found, the room, like the Chamber, that you had to be clever and cunning and inquisitive to discover… He was confident that the boy would not find the diadem… although Dumbledore's puppet had come much farther than he had ever expected… too far…

Gosh his ignorance irritated her so much. He was so self-absorbed. It was better to think that if he had found it, why could other's not?

"My Lord," said a voice, desperate and cracked. He turned: There was Lucius Malfoy sitting in the darkest corner, ragged and still bearing the marks of the punishment he had received after the boy's last escape. One of his eyes remained closed and puffy. "My Lord… please… my son…"

"If your son is dead, Lucius, it is not my fault. He did not come and join me, like the rest of the Slytherins. Perhaps he has decided to befriend Harry Potter?"

"No — never," whispered Malfoy.

"You must hope not."

"Aren't — aren't you afraid, my Lord, that Potter might die at another hand but yours?" asked Malfoy, his voice shaking. "Wouldn't it be… forgive me… more prudent to call off this battle, enter the castle, and seek him y-yourself?"

"Do not pretend, Lucius. You wish the battle to cease so that you can discover what has happened to your son. And I do not need to seek Potter. Before the night is out, Potter will have come to find me."

Those words reminded Alicia of the terrible outcome that was to come. She'd forgotten about it during their quest and their desperation during the last day. But now she thought about it, it was upon her before she had even noticed it.

Tonight was the night, tonight was the night it was to happen, where Harry would discover the truth about his connection to Voldemort. How could it not be? He and the snake were the only Horcruxes left.

Her desperation not to have Fred leave her seemed so much more justified now. She could possibly loose her only family member left this evening, as the outcomes were only guesses. She wanted the one she hoped to be with her forever with her, when everything fell into darkness.

Voldemort dropped his gaze once more to the wand in his fingers. It troubled him… and those things that troubled Lord Voldemort needed to be rearranged…

"Go and fetch Snape."

"Snape, m-my Lord?"

"Snape. Now. I need him. There is a — service — I require from him. Go."

Frightened, stumbling a little through the gloom, Lucius left the room. Voldemort continued to stand there, twirling the wand between his fingers, staring at it.

"It is the only way, Nagini," he whispered, and he looked around, and there was the great thick snake, now suspended in midair, twisting gracefully within the enchanted, protected space he had made for her, a starry, transparent sphere somewhere between a glittering cage and a tank.

Alicia's eyes opened and her ears were assaulted with the screeches and cries, the smashes and bangs of battle. Harry gasped beside her as he turned to Hermione.

Alicia felt horrified.

"He's in the Shrieking Shack. The snake's with him, it's got some sort of magical protection around it. He's just sent Lucius Malfoy to find Snape."

"He's going to kill him." Alicia realised and the three looked at her. "He's going to kill Snape!" her voice sounded much to worried.

"Who cares!" Ron snapped in his anger

"I do!" she shouted back and she pushed herself off the wall, to her feet and ignored everything in her body that protested. "I will not let Severus Snape die! Not with everything that's happened!"

Hermione saw an argument breaking out and stopped it as her rage was focused on something else.

"Voldemort's sitting in the Shrieking Shack?" said Hermione, outraged. "He's not — he's not even _fighting_?"

"He doesn't think he needs to fight," said Harry. "He thinks I'm going to go to him."

"But why?"

"He knows I'm after Horcruxes — he's keeping Nagini close beside him — obviously I'm going to have to go to him to get near the thing —"

"Right," said Ron, squaring his shoulders. "So you can't go, that's what he wants, what he's expecting. You stay here and look after Hermione and Alicia, and I'll go and get it —"

Harry cut across Ron.

"You two stay here, I'll go under the Cloak and I'll be back as soon as I —"

"No," said Hermione, "it makes much more sense if I take the Cloak and —"

"Don't even think about it," Ron snarled at her.

Alicia however was the only one who moved, reaching for the tapestry as Hermione continued to argue. Hermione however could get farther than "Ron, I'm just as capable —" the tapestry at the top of the staircase on which they stood was ripped open.

"POTTER!"

Two masked Death Eaters stood there, Alicia wand flourished and one toppled over as Hermione shouted, " _Glisseo_!" before their wands were fully raised.

The stairs beneath their feet flattened into a chute and she, Alicia (with a cry of pain), Harry, and Ron hurtled down it, unable to control their speed but so fast that the Death Eaters' Stunning Spells flew far over their heads. They shot through the concealing tapestry at the bottom and spun onto the floor, hitting the opposite wall.

" _Duro_!" cried Hermione, pointing her wand at the tapestry, and there were two loud, sickening crunches as the tapestry turned to stone and the Death Eaters pursuing them crumpled against it.

"Get back!" shouted Ron, and he, Alicia, Harry, and Hermione flattened themselves against a door as a herd of galloping desks thundered past, shepherded by a sprinting Professor McGonagall. She appeared not to notice them: Her hair had come down and there was a gash on her cheek. As she turned the corner, they heard her scream, "CHARGE!"

"Harry, you get the Cloak on," said Hermione. "Never mind us —"

But he threw it over all four of them as Ron helped Alicia to her feet; large though they were, he doubted anyone would see their disembodied feet through the dust that clogged the air, the falling stone, the shimmer of spells.

They ran down the next staircase and found themselves in a corridor full of duellers. The portraits on either side of the fighters were crammed with figures screaming advice and encouragement, while Death Eaters, both masked and unmasked, duelled students and teachers. Dean had won himself a wand, for he was face-to-face with Dolohov, Parvati with Travers. Harry, Alicia Ron, and Hermione raised their wands at once, ready to strike, but the duellers were weaving and darting around so much that there was a strong likelihood of hurting one of their own side if they cast curses. Even as they stood braced, looking for the opportunity to act, there came a great " _Wheeeeeeeeeeee_!" and, looking up, Peeves zooming over them, dropping Snargaluff pods down onto the Death Eaters, whose heads were suddenly engulfed in wriggling green tubers like fat worms.

"Argh!"

A fistful of tubers had hit the Cloak over Ron's head; the slimy green roots were suspended improbably in midair as Ron tried to shake them loose.

"Someone's invisible there!" shouted a masked Death Eater, pointing.

Dean made the most of the Death Eater's momentary distraction, knocking him out with a Stunning Spell; Dolohov attempted to retaliate and Parvati shot a Body-Bind Curse at him. Alicia took another's distraction and he was blasted backwards into another Death Eater as a students jumped out of the way.

"LET'S GO!" Harry yelled, and he, Ron, Alicia, and Hermione gathered the Cloak tightly around themselves and pelted, heads down, through the midst of the fighters, slipping a little in pools of Snargaluff juice, toward the top of the marble staircase into the entrance hall.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm Draco, I'm on your side!"

Draco was on the upper landing, pleading with another masked Death Eater. Harry Stunned the Death Eater as they passed: Malfoy looked around, beaming, for his saviour, and Ron punched him from under the Cloak. Malfoy fell backward on top of the Death Eater, his mouth bleeding, utterly bemused.

"And that's the second time we've saved your life tonight, you two-faced bastard!" Ron yelled.

There were more duellers all over the stairs and in the hall, were Death Eaters everywhere they looked: Yaxley, close to the front doors, in combat with Flitwick, a masked Death Eater duelling Kingsley right beside them. Students ran in every direction, some carrying or dragging injured friends. Harry directed a Stunning Spell toward the masked Death Eater; it missed but nearly hit Neville, who had emerged from nowhere brandishing armfuls of Venomous Tentacula, which looped itself happily around the nearest Death Eater and began reeling him in.

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione sped down the marble staircase: Glass shattered to their left, and the Slytherin hourglass that had recorded House points spilled its emeralds everywhere, so that people slipped and staggered as they ran. Two bodies fell from the balcony overhead as they reached the ground, and a grey blur that looked like an animal sped four-legged across the hall to sink its teeth into one of the fallen.

"NO!" shrieked Hermione, and with a deafening blast from her wand, Fenrir Greyback was thrown backward from the feebly stirring body of Lavender Brown. He hit the marble banisters and struggled to return to his feet. Then, with a bright white flash and a crack, a crystal ball fell on top of his head, and he crumpled to the ground and did not move.

"I have more!" shrieked Professor Trelawney from over the banisters. "More for any who want them! Here —"

And with a movement like a tennis serve, she heaved another enormous crystal sphere from her bag, waved her wand through the air, and caused the ball to speed across the hall and smash through a window. At the same moment, the heavy wooden front doors burst open, and more of the gigantic spiders forced their way into the entrance hall.

Screams of terror rent the air: The fighters scattered, Death Eaters and Hogwartians alike, and red and green jets of light flew into the midst of the oncoming monsters, which shuddered and reared, more terrifying than ever.

"How do we get out?" yelled Ron over all the screaming, but before either Harry, Alicia or Hermione could answer they were bowled aside: Hagrid had come thundering down the stairs, brandishing his flowery pink umbrella.

"Don't hurt 'em, don't hurt 'em!" he yelled.

"HAGRID, NO!"

Harry forgot everything else: He sprinted out from under the Cloak, running bent double to avoid the curses illuminating the whole hall. Alicia bent to grab him but missed and her body wasn't able enough to run after him as quickly.

"HAGRID, COME BACK!"

Hagrid vanished amongst the spiders, and with a great scurrying, a foul swarming movement, they retreated under the onslaught of spells, Hagrid buried in their midst.

"HAGRID!"

Hermione shouted after Harry but he didn't answer. Alicia took a breath as she, Ron and Hermione ran after him as he sprinted down the front steps into the dark grounds, and the spiders were swarming away with their prey.

"HAGRID!"

Harry went to chase the swarm and Hagrid as a monumental foot impeded in his path. It swung down out of the darkness and made the ground shudder. A giant stood before Harry, twenty feet high, its head hidden in shadow, nothing but its treelike, hairy shins illuminated by light from the castle doors. With one brutal, fluid movement, it smashed a massive fist through an upper window, and glass rained down upon Harry, forcing him back under the shelter of the doorway.

"Oh my—!" shrieked Hermione, as she, Alicia and Ron caught up with Harry and gazed upward at the giant now trying to seize people through the window above.

"DON'T!" Ron yelled, grabbing Hermione's hand as she raised her wand. "Stun him and he'll crush half the castle —"

"And everyone in it!" Alicia agreed.

"HAGGER?"

Grawp came lurching around the corner of the castle, he was, indeed, an undersized giant. The gargantuan monster trying to crush people on the upper floors looked around and let out a roar. The stone steps trembled as he stomped toward his smaller kin, and Grawp's lopsided mouth fell open, showing yellow, half-brick-sized teeth; and then they launched themselves at each other with the savagery of lions.

"RUN!" Harry roared; the night was full of hideous yells and blows as the giants wrestled. He placed an arm around Alicia and, ignoring her pain, she let him guide her as she all out tore down the steps and into the grounds, Ron bring up the rear.

It seemed Harry was still after Hagrid as they headed towards the forest, only to be brought up short again.

The air around them had frozen: Alicia's breath caught and solidified in her chest. Shapes moved out in the darkness, swirling figures of concentrated blackness, moving in a great wave toward the castle, their faces hooded and their breath rattling…

Ron and Hermione closed in beside the twins as the sounds of fighting behind them grew suddenly muted, deadened, because a silence only dementors could bring was falling thickly through the night. Alicia's grief was brought out, Percy was gone, Fred had vanished, and Hagrid was surely dying or already dead, Harry was likely not to survive…

And there was the glimmer. The war would be over, Alicia could have Fred, Harry could have Ginny, Hermione and Ron were finally together, and Dumbeldore had said, Alicia could keep Harry alive.

"Come on, Harry!" said Hermione's voice from a very long way away. "Patronuses, Harry, come on!"

" _EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

Alicia's owl soared high and bright into the air at the dementors. But Harry didn't move.

"HARRY, COME ON!" screamed Hermione.

Ron made his attempt, a silver terrier burst into the air, flicker feebly, and expired; Hermione's otter twist in midair and faded too.

"Are you three giving up already?" Alicia asked as her owl shot at the dementors.

And then a silver hare, a boar, and a fox soared past Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione's heads, joining Alicia's owl: The dementors fell back before the creatures' approach. Three more people had arrived out of the darkness to stand beside them, their wands outstretched, continuing to cast their Patronuses: Luna, Ernie, and Seamus.

"That's right," said Luna encouragingly, as if they were back in the Room of Requirement and this was simply spell practice for the D.A. "That's right, Harry… come on, think of something happy…"

"Something happy?" he said, his voice cracked.

"We're all still here," she whispered, "we're still fighting. Come on, now…"

Alicia took Harry's hand and he turned to her. She looked at the eyes that mirrored her own and so many happy ideas flew through her, the prospect of what could happen tonight when everything went right, ignoring the shadows that threatened to extinguish her light.

There was a silver spark, then a wavering light, and then the stag burst from the end of Harry's wand. It cantered forward, and now the dementors scattered in earnest, and immediately the night was mild again, but the sounds of the surrounding battle were loud in his ears.

"Can't thank you enough," said Ron shakily, turning to Luna, Ernie, and Seamus, "you just saved —"

With a roar and an earth-quaking tremor, another giant came lurching out of the darkness from the direction of the forest, brandishing a club taller than any of them.

"RUN!" Harry shouted again, but the others needed no telling: They all scattered, and not a second too soon, for next moment the creature's vast foot had fallen exactly where they had been standing. Harry looked round: Alicia, Ron and Hermione were following him, but the other three had vanished back into the battle.

"Let's get out of range!" yelled Ron as the giant swung its club again and its bellows echoed through the night, across the grounds where bursts of red and green light continued to illuminate the darkness.

"The Whomping Willow," said Harry, "go!"


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52:

There were jets of light flying through darkness all around them, the sound of the lake crashed like the sea, and the Forbidden Forest, though the night was windless, creaked. The grounds seemed themselves to have risen in rebellion.

The four ran across the ground, Alicia slightly behind the others as, despite ignoring everything in her body screaming for her to stop, her usual movement was not as it should be. But she never lost sight, nor did she loose the three.

The Whomping Willow, the great tree, came into sight before Harry, it's secret below it and protected by the trees whiplike slashing branches.

Panting and gasping, Harry slowed down, skirting the Willow's swiping branches, peering through the darkness toward its thick trunk, trying to see the single knot in the bark of the old tree that would paralyse it. Ron and Hermione caught up, Hermione so out of breath she could not speak as Alicia stood beside them. She felt like she would collapse and Harry, probably feeling how in agony her body was, grabbing her around the waist to keep her upright.

She should have stayed behind, hidden somewhere, she felt like a hindrance, like she was holding the three back.

But she couldn't. She had to save Snape. She couldn't let him be killed by Voldemort, when everyone thought him a traitor, when everyone hated him. He couldn't leave this world before he had been given an Order of Merlin for doing the hardest thing ever, in order to protect a child's soul and look after a world full of people.

She thought he deserved more than that, he deserved every apology from everyone in the world, he deserved everyone to look up to him with pride and even envy. She wanted she clear him and make everyone see how wrong they were. Finally.

"How — how're we going to get in?" panted Ron as he stared at the tree before him. "I can — see the place — if we just had — Crookshanks again —"

"Crookshanks?" wheezed Hermione, bent double, clutching her chest. " _Are you a wizard, or what_?"

Alicia was reminded of a time when Ron had said the same thing to Hermione in their first year and almost laughed.

"Oh — right — yeah —"

Ron looked around, then directed his wand at a twig on the ground and said, " _Wingardium Leviosa_!" The twig flew up from the ground, spun through the air as if caught by a gust of wind, then zoomed directly at the trunk through the Willow's ominously swaying branches. It jabbed at a place near the roots, and at once, the writhing tree became still.

"Perfect!" panted Hermione.

"Wait."

For one teetering second, while the crashes and booms of the battle filled the air, Harry hesitated. Alicia looked at him beside her as he didn't make a move and he seemed worried.

"Harry, we're coming, just get in there!" said Ron, pushing him forward. Alicia cried out as she stumbled with her brother, not expecting the sudden movement and Ron grabbed her, apologising.

"God Ronald!" she snapped.

Regardless, Harry released her and he wriggled first into the earthy passage hidden in the trees roots. Alicia followed next, it was a much tighter squeeze than it had been the last time they had entered it. The tunnel was low-ceilinged: They had had to double up to move through it nearly four years previously; now there was nothing for it but to crawl. Harry went first, his wand illuminated, expecting at any moment to meet barriers, but none came. Alicia was slow at first but as her limbs got used to the knew position they stopped complaining as much and she was able to keep up with Harry, Hermione behind her and Ron at the rear. They moved in silence, Harry's gaze fixed upon the swinging beam of the wand held in his fist.

At last the tunnel began to slope upward and Harry saw a sliver of light ahead. Hermione tugged at Alicia's ankle and she grabbed Harry's.

"The Cloak!" she whispered. "Put the Cloak on!"

He groped behind him as Hermione handed Alicia the cloak and she passed it upwards to Harry. With difficulty he dragged it over himself, murmured, " _Nox,_ " extinguishing his wandlight, and continued on his hands and knees, as silently as possible.

Voices finally filled the darkness, coming from the room directly ahead of them, only slightly muffled by the fact that the opening at the end of the tunnel had been blocked up by what looked like an old crate. Hardly daring to breathe, Harry edged right up to the opening and peered through a tiny gap left between crate and wall.

Alicia stayed below him and Hermione and Ron did the same. Alicia put her finger to her lips and both nodded as Alicia closed her eyes.

She saw through Harry's eyes and into the dimly lit room beyond. Nagini was in the line of sight, swirling and coiling like a serpent underwater, safe still in her enchanted starry sphere, which floated unsupported in midair. There was the edge of a table, and a long-fingered white hand toying with a wand. Then Snape spoke, and Harry's heart lurched: Snape was inches away from where he crouched, hidden. Alicia instantly reached out and grabbed Harry, she knew he wouldn't launch his way out, but there was no helping the action.

"… my Lord, their resistance is crumbling —"

"— and it is doing so without your help," said Voldemort in his high, clear voice. "Skilled wizard though you are, Severus, I do not think you will make much difference now. We are almost there… almost."

"Let me find the boy. Let me bring you Potter. I know I can find him, my Lord. Please."

Alicia rolled her lips. Voldemort had called him here to kill him. _Please, leave! Run!_ she wanted nothing more than for him to be alright.

Snape strode past the gap, and Harry drew back a little, keeping his eyes fixed upon Nagini. Voldemort stood up. Harry could see him now, see the red eyes, the flattened, serpentine face, the pallor of him gleaming slightly in the semidarkness.

"I have a problem, Severus," said Voldemort softly.

"My Lord?" said Snape.

Voldemort raised the Elder Wand, holding it as delicately and precisely as a conductor's baton.

"Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?"

There was a hissing noise believed to come from Nagini, but it was Voldemort sighing, he really had little human left to him.

"My — my Lord?" said Snape blankly. "I do not understand. You — you have performed extraordinary magic with that wand."

"No," said Voldemort. "I have performed my usual magic. I am extraordinary, but this wand… no. It has not revealed the wonders it has promised. I feel no difference between this wand and the one I procured from Ollivander all those years ago."

Voldemort's tone was musing, calm, but Alicia's scar had begun to throb and pulse: Pain was building in her neck as Voldemort held control of his fury building inside.

"No difference," said Voldemort again.

Snape did not speak. Alicia hoped Snape could feel the danger and that he had a plan. Was he trying to find the right words to reassure his master? To save him?

Voldemort started to move around the room: Harry lost sight of him for seconds as he prowled, speaking in that same measured voice, while the pain and fury mounted in Harry, passing in on to Alicia.

"I have thought long and hard, Severus… Do you know why I have called you back from the battle?"

And for a moment Harry and Alicia saw Snape's profile: His eyes were fixed upon the coiling snake in its enchanted cage. Alicia's eyes furrowed, Snape didn't look afraid of the snake, so why was he transfixed?

"No, my Lord, but I beg you will let me return. Let me find Potter."

 _She paused "Professor, if you're time is limited, and Harry was supposed to know this, and you didn't plan on telling me, who was supposed to tell Harry in the end?" she asked_

" _Can you think of no one?" his eyes glinted_

" _Would it be Snape's joy to deliver the news that the son of the man he hated most was to walk to his death I wonder… though I'd never like to think him that harsh no matter his hatred." Alicia said_

Snape knew… he knew of Harry's fate, and he had to tell Harry. He did not know Alicia knew… he didn't want to find them to hand them over, he, somehow, knew it was time to tell Harry what he needed. What his fate was likely to be.

"You sound like Lucius. Neither of you understands Potter as I do. He does not need finding. Potter will come to me. I know his weakness, you see, his one great flaw. He will hate watching the others struck down around him, knowing that it is for him that it happens. He will want to stop it at any cost. He will come."

"But my Lord, he might be killed accidentally by one other than yourself —"

"My instructions to my Death Eaters have been perfectly clear. Capture Potter. Kill his friends — the more, the better — but do not kill him.

"But it is of you that I wished to speak, Severus, not Harry Potter. You have been very valuable to me. Very valuable."

"My Lord knows I seek only to serve him. But — let me go and find the boy, my Lord. Let me bring him to you. I know I can —"

"I have told you, no!" said Voldemort, and Harry caught the glint of red in his eyes as he turned again, and the swishing of his cloak was like the slithering of a snake. Alicia felt Voldemort's impatience in her burning scar. "My concern at the moment, Severus, is what will happen when I finally meet the boy!"

"My Lord, there can be no question, surely — ?"

"— but there _is_ a question, Severus. There is."

Voldemort halted, and Harry could see him plainly again as he slid the Elder Wand through his white fingers, staring at Snape. "Why did both the wands I have used fail when directed at Harry Potter?"

"I — I cannot answer that, my Lord."

"Can't you?"

The stab of rage felt like a spike driven through Alicia's neck: her mouth was clamped shut and she placed a hand over it as she kept her eyes closed, stopping her from making her noise. At the same time, Harry forced his own fist into his mouth to stop himself from crying too. Harry closed his eyes and now Alicia wasn't looking through Harry's eyes, she was with Harry, looking through Voldemort's eyes, looking into Snape's pale face.

"My wand of yew did everything of which I asked it, Severus, except to kill Harry Potter. Twice it failed. Ollivander told me under torture of the twin cores, told me to take another's wand. I did so, but Lucius's wand shattered upon meeting Potter's."

"I — I have no explanation, my Lord."

Snape was not looking at Voldemort now. His dark eyes were still fixed upon the coiling serpent in its protective sphere.

"I sought a third wand, Severus. The Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick. I took it from its previous master. I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore."

And now Snape looked at Voldemort, and Snape's face was like a death mask. It was marble white and so still that when he spoke, it was a shock to see that anyone lived behind the blank eyes.

"My Lord — let me go to the boy —"

Alicia could sense Snape's desperation but she felt nothing but pain at watching this scene, at fearing how it would turn out. Voldemort wanted to kill Snape, because Snape had killed Dumbledore. Voldemort wanted Dumbledore's wand, but he believed Snape stood in the way of him possessing it properly.

But Dumbledore had not even had his wand in his hand when Snape had cast the curse. What's more, Snape wouldn't have won the wand even if Dumbledore had still had it, because Snape had not been the victor of that fight. It had not even been a fight.

Voldemort was going to kill Snape in vain.

Alicia felt tears running onto her hand over her mouth.

"All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have sat here," said Voldemort, his voice barely louder than a whisper, "wondering, wondering, why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner… and I think I have the answer."

Snape did not speak.

"Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen."

"My Lord —"

"The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine."

"My Lord!" Snape protested, raising his wand.

"It cannot be any other way," said Voldemort. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last."

And Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand. It did nothing to Snape, who for a split second seemed to think he had been reprieved: But then Voldemort's intention became clear. The snake's cage was rolling through the air, and before Snape could do anything more than yell, it had encased him, head and shoulders, and Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue.

" _Kill_."

Alicia pulled herself from Voldemort's head and from Harry's. She clapped her hands over her ears as there was a terrible scream. There was a thump as Snape's knees hit the ground and Alicia cried silently.

"I regret it," said Voldemort coldly.

There was silence before there was another thump and Snape's body toppled sideways to the floor.

She heard nothing as Voldemort left the room and Alicia moved first. Her wand went upwards and with a flick the crate lifted off the exit.

She pushed on Harry and forced him through the hole. It seemed he didn't need much forcing, he was climbing through himself.

"Harry!" breathed Hermione behind them but Alicia climbed through the hole and scurried, ignoring the pain in her body over to Snape. His face was white and his fingers were trying to staunch the bloody wound at his neck.

His eyes found Alicia as she instantly got her wand and tried to stop the bleeding, but the poison of Nagini was no ordinary poison, it could not be healed with simple spells.

"No." she whispered at Snape, who's blackened eyes watched her as she sobbed. "No you can't. W-We have to tell everyone… th-they need to know… you don't deserve—" she couldn't help it as her tears fell and she placed her hand against his throat too, trying to stop the bleeding.

Snape's eyes widened slightly as Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak and kneeled beside his sister. Snape instantly grabbed the front of Harry's robes and pulled him closer.

A terrible rasping, gurgling noise issued from Snape's throat.

"Take… it… Take… it…"

Something more than blood was leaking from Snape. Silvery blue, neither gas nor liquid, it gushed from his mouth and his ears and his eyes, and they all knew what it was.

A flask, conjured from thin air, was thrust into Harry's shaking hands by Hermione. Harry lifted the silvery substance into it with his wand. When the flask was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there was no blood left in him, his grip on Harry's robes slackened.

He turned to Alicia.

"You can't, we have to tell them what you did. You have to see them understand. You can't leave with how everyone treated you." she whispered at him but he rose his hand to her face. He was looking at her, taking in her appearance, the appearance that was, beside her hair, the exact same as the women he had loved for so many years.

She stared, her green eyes into his black ones.

"Please…"

But even as she said the word, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand on Alicia's cheek thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53:

Alicia stayed staring at the man, her mouth open. She had hoped, that she'd be able to clear his name, and he could see the looks on everyone's faces, that he could see that no one hated him anymore, that he could be there when people gave him that look that said he had done the impossible and they understood.

But he couldn't now. He couldn't see what everyone would say when they learned the truth.

 _Say hi to her for me._ she whispered as she moved her hand and she closed the lids over the Prince's eyes, causing the empty darkness to vanish beneath them.

Then, quite suddenly, a high, cold voice spoke so close to them that Harry jumped to his feet, the flask gripped tightly in his hands, thinking that Voldemort had reentered the room.

Voldemort's voice reverberated from the walls and floor, as he was talking to Hogwarts and to all the surrounding area, that the residents of Hogsmeade and all those still fighting in the castle would hear him as clearly as if he stood beside them, his breath on the back of their necks, a deathblow away.

"You have fought," said the high, cold voice, "valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately.

"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. I will seek out your last family member, and only sister, and make her suffer. One hour."

And Alicia closed her eyes. She wouldn't have to suffer, Voldemort wouldn't need to seek out Harry. She knew what was going to happen. Harry would go to the pensieve, he'd watch the memory and he'd learn. He'd learn of Dumbledore's plan for Snape, how he'd asked him to kill him to save Draco, he would learn of Dumbledore's true intentions of telling them of the Horcruxes. Harry would learn of him being a horcrux. He would go to the forest, he would face what he had to. And after that…

As Alicia sat beside the old Potions master, both Ron and Hermione were shaking their heads frantically, looking at Harry.

"Don't listen to him," said Ron.

"It'll be all right," said Hermione wildly. "Let's — let's get back to the castle, if he's gone to the forest we'll need to think of a new plan —"

She glanced at Snape's body, then hurried back to the tunnel entrance. Ron followed her. Harry gathered up the Invisibility Cloak, then looked down at Snape. He then tapped Alicia's shoulder and she turned to him.

"What were you talking about?" he asked her lowly, curiously. She looked at the flask in his hand.

"I'm sure you'll find out." she whispered before she, agonisingly, got to her feet. Harry took her elbow and helped hoist her up.

"Harry, I'm really sorry." and he looked confused. "I've kept a lot of things from you this year, a lot of things I knew about and I didn't tell you because… I wasn't supposed to, for even more reasons." he looked at her with no idea what she was going on about, but glanced at the flask. "But I'm sure you're going to find it all out now." she said and more tears poured down her cheeks.

"I d-don't w-want you to w-worry about me o-okay." her voice broke several times as she said it. She tried to hold her tears back but she couldn't. It was too late. "You have to make the right decision. Y-You have to d-do… what's right… w-what he wanted you do to… I know what's going to happen… and I've… I've had time to—" she didn't finish as he stared at her and she shook her head.

"I-I'll understand if you're m-mad at me for not t-telling you when you find out." she said.

He didn't ask her what she was going on about but she pulled him into a hug and he was still, confused before he rubbed her back, at least believing she needed the comfort.

"I b-believe in you. And… I k-knew… you'll do… w-what's right." she cried, her eyes scrunching up as she sobbed slightly.

She pulled back and looked at him, full in the face, managing a very small, water, sad smile, before she turned and followed Hermione and Ron back down the tunnel.

Harry followed her and none of them spoke as they moved through the darkness, emerging to find Hermione and Ron waiting for them.

Small bundles seemed to litter the lawn at the front of the castle. It could only be an hour or so from dawn, yet it was pitch-black. The four of them hurried toward the stone steps, Alicia lagging slightly, but none of them forced her along. A lone clog, the size of a small boat, lay abandoned in front of them. There was no other sign of Grawp or of his attacker.

The castle was unnaturally silent. There were no flashes of light now, no bangs or screams or shouts. The flagstones of the deserted entrance hall were stained with blood. Emeralds were still scattered all over the floor, along with pieces of marble and splintered wood. Part of the banisters had been blown away.

"Where is everyone?" whispered Hermione.

"They were told to tend to the dead…" Alicia whispered when she reached them. "The biggest place for that would be…"

Ron led the way to the Great Hall. Harry stopped in the doorway and Alicia paused beside him. She glanced at him and they shared a look before she dropped her gaze sadly and moved in after the two.

The House tables were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups, their arms around each other's necks. The injured were being treated upon the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers. Firenze was amongst the injured; his flank poured blood and he shook where he lay, unable to stand.

The dead lay in a row in the middle of the Hall. You could not see Percy's body, because his family surrounded him. George and Fred stood by his head; Mrs. Weasley was lying across Percy's chest, her body shaking, Mr. Weasley stroking her hair while tears cascaded down his cheeks.

Alicia moved first, slowly that Hermione and Ron passed her, Hermione approached Ginny, whose face was swollen and blotchy, and hugged her. Ron joined Bill and Fleur. As Ginny and Hermione moved closer to the rest of the family, Alicia, who was moving slowly and looking around, had a clear view of the bodies lying next to Percy: Remus and Tonks, pale and still and peaceful-looking, apparently asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling.

Alicia stopped and stared at them. It was as if she'd known, she'd told Tonks! Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at Remus, the last close connection to either of her parents she'd had left. And now, Teddy, poor Teddy, he was an orphan just as Alicia had been.

Alicia felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Fred had joined her. His face was streaked with tears just as her's was. She immediately held onto him, pulling herself close and he held her tightly. She ignored the pain his tight embrace caused, but also noticed it wasn't as bad as usual. She figured she should go to Madam Pomfrey, but healing herself seemed such an unnecessary idea, so many more would need the attention before her.

Fred lead her away from Tonks and Remus and over to his family. It seemed Alicia was unable to stand anymore and Fred allowed her to sit, she was bloody, bruised, and still had few remains from marks of the burns from Gringotts. Her body had been beaten more than she even knew.

"She needs Madam Pomfrey." she heard Hermione's voice, but it sounded distant.

She didn't know how she knew it, but the twins both helped her up, which she had no strength left to help with, and began to move her over to the matron. It seemed Madam Pomfrey was on her in a moments time, and she was having her cuts and scrapes healed and soon the physical pain seemed to almost be gone.

It only made room for the mental pain. Everything was only to get worse for her. She was all there was left. Hermione and Ron, finally, were where they had been heading the last seven years, she didn't want them hurt or to loose one another. Alicia herself would take on the duty of Nagini, for Harry soon may not be around to do anything.

She knew there was a possibility Harry would survive, that the curse would only effect Voldemort's soul and leave Harry's intact, but if she let herself hope for that outcome, she was scared of the devastation she'd received if it didn't work. What was more, she'd fear the anger at Dumbledore, who would have given her that hope. She found it best, not matter how hurtful, to just fear the worst from the beginning.

She didn't notice Madam Pomfrey finish with her but was aware when Fred hoisted her into his arms and held onto her. She gripped at his clothes, he was all she had left, all that would be left soon. She was scared of that fact, she was scared of being alone, of having no one.

But it wasn't true, she had Fred, and she had his family… though it wasn't the same.

Fred held her as she sobbed, he didn't say anything but she could feel George pat her hair and his voice asking if she was okay. Fred didn't know but he just comforted her anyway.

Over her sobs Alicia could hear Mrs Weasley doing the same. She felt the compulsion to apologise, apologise for saving Fred, but not being able to do the same for Percy, and so she moved from Fred, who reached for her hand instantly, as though he never wanted to part from her and she moved to Mrs Weasley, kneeling beside her.

Mr Weasley looked at her and she noticed, as Mrs Weasley cried over her son's chest, that talking to her directly, would not work, so she turned to the thin, balding red-headed man.

"I'm so sorry." she said and he looked at her surprised and confused. "I… I was there… and I tried… I protected…" she looked at Fred who kneeled beside her and shook his head.

"Alicia, you put yourself in the way to protect me, you broke how many bones and got how many injuries?" he asked. He smirked slightly. "I'm supposed to look after you." he brushed her hair.

"But I couldn't even protect Percy." she said as her eyes welled up again. "He only just came back, everything was suppose to be fine." she whispered.

Mrs Weasley had straightened up and turned to Alicia to engulf her in a hug. She cried into Alicia's shoulder and Alicia only cried back.

"It's my fault." she said.

"Alicia, you protected Fred, you put your life on the line. And how many times have you done so for us?" Mr Weasley asked

"You did all you could." George agreed.

"You always put someone else before yourself." Fred promised her as Alicia held Mrs Weasley.

It made her swell with warmth, but it wasn't enough. She said nothing more as Mrs Weasley launched at her husband now and Alicia got to her feet. Fred placed an arm around her shoulders and lay his head on her's. George rubbed her other shoulder in comfort.

She simply watched the Weasley's. Bill was comforting Ron with Fleur, who simply stared as if he wasn't really seeing what was before him. Hermione was holding Ginny, who was leaning her head on her shoulder, still crying. Mr Weasley held Mrs Weasley, who seemed to have an endless amount of tears.

And she watched them all with pity. She looked around the hall, at all these people who had been willing to fight, willing to protect Harry, because he was The Boy Who Lived. Willing to fight for the last hope there was, for the Chosen One who was to defeat the Dark Lord. What would they all think when he turned up dead? Would they think everything over, would they think it was all a waste? Would they be filled with despair? None of them, no one but her would know that it was what was meant to happen. And when they learnt of it, she'd stand before everyone and continue to defy Voldemort. Someone had to give them hope. Maybe she'd even shout the truth, to give people hope.

She could almost imagine Harry, walking alone, to the forest, maybe even this very minute. She knew him so well that he would not stop, she'd said her goodbyes, and any more might stop him from doing what needed to be done. She wondered if he was angry with her, for not telling him, or would he understand? She could easily send the question to his mind, to ask him before it was too late, but that could stop him. If someone spoke to him, if someone said a goodbye, or said anything, he might loose the resolve he needed, the resolve she knew he had.

She wondered what Snape had showed him? His true fate would be one. Hopefully he snowed Harry how he had killed Dumbledore on Dumbledore's orders, maybe about the doe too. She didn't know, but she hoped.

And thinking about this had her crying and sobbing so much that the Weasleys had all turned to her with no clue what was wrong with her. She covered her face in her hands and turned into Fred's chest, who looked down at her and then at his family, with no clue of what happened.

She didn't notice as the Weasleys dispensed finally, Ginny left the hall, Mrs Weasley stayed with her son, Bill and Fleur were together. Mr Weasley was talking to others, but the twins stayed with Alicia. She didn't see what happened to Ron and Hermione, she just worked on controlling herself.

It took her a few deep breaths but she managed it. As it was a habit, she looked at her watch, and noticed the hour was almost over. Where was Harry? Alicia was so connected to him she suddenly wondered what would happen when he was gone. Would she know? Would she feel it? What would she see if she reached for him? She had felt his pain, she had felt his emotions, and yet at this moment she was so wrapped in her own, she didn't know what he was doing or thinking or feeling.

She'd never considered the effect Harry's death might have on her.

She turned back to Percy before her. Would it be quick? Like Sirius' had been? She doubted Sirius had felt anything, her father either. Her mother had probably not felt anything, but the despair of before hand, her son being in danger… Had Percy felt it when the castle had collapsed? Had Lupin and Tonks? What did it even feel like?

Alicia turned to Fred, who was watching her. She looked up at him and they just held each other's eyes. He wiped a thumb over her cheek, wiping the wetness of her tears. The action made her reach up with her sleeve, dirty though it was she wiped her face of the tears there. She looked around the hall.

None of them knew.

And then, the most unexpected happened.

Alicia suddenly had her breath hitch in her throat, as if there was no more air to intake. Her entire body acted in a way that did not match the environment around her. She felt as if she had been punched, with an iron-clad fist, in the chest. Her chest moved backwards, her shoulders shot forwards with her hands and she slipped from Fred's arms, backwards, her leg's being knocked out from under her. George and Fred look at her in shocked as she fell backward towards the stone of the Great Hall floor.

She saw their mouths move but no sound reached her ears, her voice was gone, she couldn't feel her limps, she didn't feel colliding with the floor. She was staring at the roof of the Great Hall, and soon it was clouded with Fred's face, George's identical one, Professor McGonagall was there, so were several others but all the focus went from her eyes.

And then it was all gone. There was nothing.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54:

There was silence, there was nothing. Everything was empty. And yet, there had to be something, her face was on the ground. Something was wrong though. She was lying, but even as she willed herself to move, to see what was around her, she could not, nothing obeyed her.

It seemed forever before she finally, at least, opened her eyes.

There was a bright mist around her, but it was no mist she had ever experienced before. The surroundings were not hidden by a cloudy vapour, rather the cloudy vapour had not yet formed into surroundings. The floor on which she had lain on seemed to be white, neither warm nor cold, but simply there, a flat, blank something on which to be.

And she sat up. She didn't seem hurt, but still something was wrong. The hands, she instantly noticed were not her's, reached for the face, it seemed something was missing.

A sound reached her through the unformed nothingness surrounding her. The small soft thumpings of something that flapped, flailed, and struggled. It was a pitiful noise, yet also slightly indecent. She felt like she shouldn't hear it, like she was eavesdropping on something furtive, shameful. It made her uncomfortable though she didn't know what it was.

It seemed something had happened for she moved towards robes that had appeared, and pulled them on. Every time she saw the arms, the legs, they were all wrong. They weren't her's. Where was she? She'd been in the Great Hall before?

She felt the robes upon her, they were soft, clean, and warm.

She looked around, she had no idea of the place before her. The longer she looked however, the more there was to see. A great domed glass roof glittered high above in sunlight. Perhaps it was a palace. All was hushed and still, except for those odd thumping and whimpering noises coming from somewhere close by in the mist…

She turned, unwillingly and without asking to, on the spot. The surroundings seemed to invent themselves before her eyes. A wide-open space, bright and clean, a hall larger by far than the Great Hall, with that clear, domed glass ceiling. It was quite empty. There was no other person there, except for —

She recoiled. She had spotted the thing that was making the noises. It had the form of a small, naked child, curled on the ground, its skin raw and rough, flayed-looking, and it lay shuddering under a seat where it had been left, unwanted, stuffed out of sight, struggling for breath.

For some reason she felt fear, but it was misplaced. The fear wasn't her's, she did not think the poor piece of soul, left to die, was frightening, more pitiful.

It seemed to hit her like a tone of bricks. The fear was not her's, because it was Harry's. She was Harry right now. And yet, she couldn't feel herself like she usually could. All she had was her thought process it seemed. Harry was the one in this place, experiencing this. Harry was the one who was afraid of the soul.

That next thought stumped her. How did she know it was a soul?

Alicia, having realised what was wrong with the placement of things, was now standing beside Harry. She realised why he had touched his face now, for he was not wearing his glasses. She thought he looked rather odd without them.

But where was Harry? He was supposed to have walked into the forest? He was supposed to have—

Alicia couldn't comprehend it. Harry couldn't be dead? Well, he was supposed to be, but how could she be here? Just because she had a piece of his soul? Did that mean this wasn't real, or had his mind ventured to a place so obscure?

She looked at Harry and wondered if he could see her, he'd been able to before? For some reason she didn't bother trying to gain his attention. She simply watched him as he edged nearer to the soul, the soul in which, Alicia believed to be the piece of Voldemort that had once been in Harry, broken, torn, meddled with.

"You cannot help."

Both twins spun around. Albus Dumbledore was walking toward Harry, sprightly and upright, wearing sweeping robes of midnight blue.

"Harry." He spread his arms wide, and his hands were both whole and white and undamaged. "You wonderful boy. You brave, brave man. Let us walk."

Alicia stared at him as she felt Harry's surprised, but he followed Dumbledore as he strode away from the flayed child that lay whimpering. Alicia followed, silently, and nonexistent. After all, it seemed she wasn't really here, she was seeing what Harry did. Though where here was she had no idea, and why he was here… Of course there were stories of death and what happened, some believed you went to hell, or heaven, some believed there was the in-between place were judgement was served, the border between the living and the dead. If she wanted to put some sort of solid thought to the place, that's what she would pick. Harry wasn't dead, or with the dead, or she could not be here, it was not possible. Harry hadn't ever entered Voldemort's mind while he'd been in his half-dead, non-human state, so how could she enter his if he was dead? Dumbledore was also here, so it couldn't be a living place.

Dumbledore had lead Harry to two seats in which he sat and Harry fell into the other, staring at his old Headmaster. Dumbledore was exactly as he should have been, long silver hair and beard, piercingly blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles, crooked nose…

"But you're dead," said Harry.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore matter-of-factly.

"Then… I'm dead too?"

"Ah," said Dumbledore, smiling still more broadly. "That is the question, isn't it? On the whole, dear boy, I think not."

They looked at each other, the old man still beaming.

"Not?" repeated Harry.

Alicia couldn't help but smile. He wasn't dead. What was he doing here then?

Alicia felt hope fill her, was Harry going to survive? Was Voldemort's soul effected by the curse and Harry's left untouched, as Dumbledore had predicted would be one of the outcomes?

"Not," said Dumbledore.

"But…" Harry raised his hand instinctively toward the lightning scar. It did not seem to be there. "But I should have died — I didn't defend myself! I meant to let him kill me!"

So Voldemort had killed Harry? He had gone? He had sacrificed himself. Alicia felt so proud of him, and so sad at the same time.

And yet that hope was still billowing below the surface. She was watching Dumbledore, hanging, waiting for him to explain, to tell her what she wanted to hear, the only reason of her worth being here for.

"And that," said Dumbledore, "will, I think, have made all the difference."

Happiness seemed to radiate from Dumbledore like light, like fire. Alicia had never seen him like this.

"Explain," said Harry.

"But you already know," said Dumbledore. He twiddled his thumbs together.

"I let him kill me," said Harry. "Didn't I?"

"You did," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Go on!"

"So the part of his soul that was in me…"

Dumbledore nodded still more enthusiastically, urging Harry onward, a broad smile of encouragement on his face.

"… has it gone?"

"Oh yes!" said Dumbledore. "Yes, he destroyed it. Your soul is whole, and completely your own, Harry."

"But then…"

Harry glanced over his shoulder to where the small, maimed creature trembled under the chair.

"What is that, Professor?"

"Something that is beyond either of our help," said Dumbledore.

"But if Voldemort used the Killing Curse," Harry started again, "and nobody died for me this time — how can I be alive?"

"I think you know," said Dumbledore. "Think back. Remember what he did, in his ignorance, in his greed and his cruelty."

He had taken Harry's blood, created a double bond… Alicia remembered. She still didn't understand how that saved Harry though… did the bond, that was still in Voldemort, cause Harry to be unable to be killed by Voldemort?

"He took my blood," said Harry.

"Precisely!" said Dumbledore. "He took your blood and rebuilt his living body with it! Your blood in his veins, Harry, Lily's protection inside both of you! He tethered you to life while he lives!"

"I live… while he lives?"

But did that stop Voldemort from dying while Harry was alive, extra soul piece in Harry or not? Or did it only work one way because it was Harry's blood? Alicia was so confused. It seemed Harry was too.

"But I thought… I thought it was the other way round! I thought we both had to die? Or is it the same thing?"

Harry glanced back at Voldemort's soul again.

"Are you sure we can't do anything?"

"There is no help possible."

"Then explain… more," said Harry, and Dumbledore smiled.

"You were the seventh Horcrux, Harry, the Horcrux he never meant to make. He had rendered his soul so unstable that it broke apart when he committed those acts of unspeakable evil, the murder of your parents, the attempted killing of a child. But what escaped from that room was even less than he knew. He left more than his body behind. He left part of himself latched to you, the would-be victim who had survived.

"And his knowledge remained woefully incomplete, Harry! That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. _Nothing._ That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped.

"He took your blood believing it would strengthen him. He took into his body a tiny part of the enchantment your mother laid upon you when she died for you. His body keeps her sacrifice alive, and while that enchantment survives, so do you and so does Voldemort's one last hope for himself."

Was it because Lily's spell didn't protect Voldemort? Hang on, wasn't she, Alicia, enough to keep Harry alive with the protection then? She was even more confused.

"Wouldn't Alicia do that though? She has the protection too?" Harry said

"Ahh, but Voldemort was coming to kill you that day, it was you who needed the most protection." Dumbledore said "The sacrifice protects Alicia, but it was initially aimed at you, oh Lily protected you both, that there is no doubt in, but the fact that you were the target is important."

 _Well that sounded stupid._ Alicia believed.

Dumbledore smiled at Harry, and Harry stared at him.

"And you knew this? You knew — all along?"

"I guessed. But my guesses have usually been good," said Dumbledore happily, and they sat in silence for what seemed like a long time, while the creature behind them continued to whimper and tremble.

"Alicia knew." Harry said

"Yes. That brave, _brilliant_ girl. I never could have guessed her to the make the connection so quickly. I guess you could say I underestimated her, or I hoped, she would be spared of knowing."

"She knew after we found out what Horcruxes were." Harry realised

"Yes. She knew when I said that Nagini was a horcrux, that you must have been as well, as the connection was the same. She also put together what that meant."

"I'd have to die… that's why she said that, why she was crying."

"It's one thing to walk to death to protect others, it's a complete other to let your last and only family member do it. She was most unselfish and brave." Dumbledore sighed.

"She knew she couldn't tell me until I needed to know." Harry said. Dumbledore nodded again. "She's been sitting on this all year."

"Do you feel sorry?" Harry nodded and Alicia smiled

"I don't know if I could have done it if she hadn't told me that I had to, that she knew… she told me not to worry about her."

"And yet it is her I worry about most." Dumbledore admitted. Alicia rolled her eyes. She wasn't a child.

"There's more," said Harry. "There's more to it. Why did my wand break the wand he borrowed?" An Answer Harry had been sitting on ever since that incident. Of course he would demand to know.

"As to that, I cannot be sure."

"Have a guess, then," said Harry, and Dumbledore laughed.

"What you must understand, Harry, is that you and Lord Voldemort have journeyed together into realms of magic hitherto unknown and untested. But here is what I think happened, and it is unprecedented, and no wandmaker could, I think, ever have predicted it or explained it to Voldemort.

"Without meaning to, as you now know, Lord Voldemort doubled the bond between you when he returned to a human form. A part of his soul was still attached to yours, and, thinking to strengthen himself, he took a part of your mother's sacrifice into himself. If he could only have understood the precise and terrible power of that sacrifice, he would not, perhaps, have dared to touch your blood… But then, if he had been able to understand, he could not be Lord Voldemort, and might never have murdered at all.

"Having ensured this two-fold connection, having wrapped your destinies together more securely than ever two wizards were joined in history, Voldemort proceeded to attack you with a wand that shared a core with yours. And now something very strange happened, as we know. The cores reacted in a way that Lord Voldemort, who never knew that your wand was twin of his, had never expected.

"He was more afraid than you were that night, Harry. You had accepted, even embraced, the possibility of death, something Lord Voldemort has never been able to do. Your courage won, your wand overpowered his. And in doing so, something happened between those wands, something that echoed the relationship between their masters.

"I believe that your wand imbibed some of the power and qualities of Voldemort's wand that night, which is to say that it contained a little of Voldemort himself. So your wand recognised him when he pursued you, recognised a man who was both kin and mortal enemy, and it regurgitated some of his own magic against him, magic much more powerful than anything Lucius's wand had ever performed. Your wand now contained the power of your enormous courage and of Voldemort's own deadly skill: What chance did that poor stick of Lucius Malfoy's stand?"

"But if my wand was so powerful, how come Hermione was able to break it?" asked Harry.

"My dear boy, its remarkable effects were directed only at Voldemort, who had tampered so ill-advisedly with the deepest laws of magic. Only toward him was that wand abnormally powerful. Otherwise it was a wand like any other… though a good one, I am sure," Dumbledore finished kindly.

"Alicia guessed something like that." Alicia looked surprised, had she? But it came to her like it was thrown before her and under her nose.

" _You'll find it's because of Voldemort." Alicia said and everyone looked at her "I felt it pull on your hand when it moved. You might find that after yours and his wands clashed together so often that your phoenix wand recognises Voldemort."_

" _But that's impossible." Hermione said_

" _I don't think it is. You need to remember Harry and Voldemort's wand have a connection, there's no telling how they'd act around one another. Wands can think for themselves remember, as Ollivander always said 'the wand chooses the wizard'."_

"Like I said, she is extremely brilliant for her age. Her guesses seem, much like mine, rather precise."

They were silent again for a moment, or several moments, time didn't seem to exist here.

"He killed me with your wand."

"He _failed_ to kill you with my wand," Dumbledore corrected Harry. "I think we can agree that you are not dead — though, of course," he added, as if fearing he had been discourteous, "I do not minimise your sufferings, Alicia's too, which I am sure were severe."

"I feel great at the moment, though," said Harry, looking down at his clean, unblemished hands. "Where are we, exactly?"

"Well, I was going to ask you that," said Dumbledore, looking around. "Where would you say that we are?"

Alicia looked around, she could not understand where they were. But Harry it seemed had some idea.

"It looks," he said slowly, "like King's Cross station. Except a lot cleaner and empty, and there are no trains as far as I can see."

Alicia looked around with a raised eyebrow, but as she was connected to his mind, she began to see it.

"King's Cross station!" Dumbledore was chuckling immoderately. "Good gracious, really?"

"Well, where do you think we are?" asked Harry, a little defensively.

"My dear boy, I have no idea. This is, as they say, _your_ party."

So this was the boarder world, or what ever other explanation there might be. The party to see if he went up, down or where ever it was souls went.

"The Deathly Hallows," Harry said and Alicia turned in time to see that these words had wiped the smile from Dumbledore's face.

"Ah, yes," he said. He even looked a little worried.

"Well?" Dumbledore suddenly looked, for the first time, less than an old man, much less. He looked fleetingly like a small boy caught in wrongdoing.

"Can you forgive me?" he said. "Can you forgive me for not trusting you? For not telling you? Harry, I only feared that you would fail as I had failed. I only dreaded that you would make my mistakes. I crave your pardon, Harry. I have known, for some time now, that you are the better man."

Perhaps he was taking about Harry not letting the Hallows corrupt him, though he had been very close, had it not been for Dobby, Alicia wondered what Harry would have done. Dumbledore had been so driving towards him, he'd lost his sister, and he'd put on a cursed ring just to apologise, or so Alicia assumed.

Harry, may have gone down a similar path, but it seemed the grief had stopped him.

 _Luckily for us._ Alicia thought.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55:

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry, startled by Dumbledore's tone, by the sudden tears in his eyes.

"The Hallows, the Hallows," murmured Dumbledore. "A desperate man's dream!"

"But they're real!"

"Real, and dangerous, and a lure for fools," said Dumbledore. "And I was such a fool. But you know, don't you? I have no secrets from you anymore. You know."

"What do I know?"

Dumbledore turned his whole body to face Harry, and tears still sparkled in the brilliantly blue eyes. Alicia watched him, waiting for confirmation.

"Master of death, Harry, master of Death! Was I better, ultimately, than Voldemort?"

"Of course you were," said Harry. "Of course — how can you ask that? You never killed if you could avoid it!"

"True, true," said Dumbledore, and he was like a child seeking reassurance. "Yet I too sought a way to conquer death, Harry."

"Not the way he did," said Harry. It seemed Harry was forgetting his anger at Dumbledore, and was now, suddenly defending him after everything. "Hallows, not Horcruxes."

"Hallows," murmured Dumbledore, "not Horcruxes. Precisely."

There was a pause. The creature behind them whimpered, but Harry no longer looked around.

"Grindelwald was looking for them too?" he asked. Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment and nodded.

"It was the thing, above all, that drew us together," he said quietly.

"Two clever, arrogant boys with a shared obsession. He wanted to come to Godric's Hollow, as I am sure you have guessed, because of the grave of Ignotus Peverell. He wanted to explore the place the third brother had died."

"So it's true?" asked Harry. "All of it? The Peverell brothers —"

"— were the three brothers of the tale," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Oh yes, I think so. Whether they met Death on a lonely road… I think it more likely that the Peverell brothers were simply gifted, dangerous wizards who succeeded in creating those powerful objects. The story of them being Death's own Hallows seems to me the sort of legend that might have sprung up around such creations.

"The Cloak, as you know now, traveled down through the ages, father to son, mother to daughter, right down to Ignotus's last living descendant, who was born, as Ignotus was, in the village of Godric's Hollow."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry.

"Me?"

"You. You and Alicia, though Alicia decided you were best for it."

"And she took the map." he mumbled and Dumbledore nodded as Alicia nodded proudly.

"You have guessed, I know, why the Cloak was in my possession on the night your parents died. James had showed it to me just a few days previously. It explained much of his undetected wrong- doing at school! I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I asked to borrow it, to examine it. I had long since given up my dream of uniting the Hallows, but I could not resist, could not help taking a closer look… It was a Cloak the likes of which I had never seen, immensely old, perfect in every respect… and then your father died, and I had two Hallows at last, all to myself!"

His tone was unbearably bitter.

"The Cloak wouldn't have helped them survive, though," Harry said quickly. "Voldemort knew where my mum and dad were. The Cloak couldn't have made them curse-proof."

"True," sighed Dumbledore. "True."

Harry waited, but Dumbledore did not speak, so he prompted him.

"So you'd given up looking for the Hallows when you saw the Cloak?"

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore faintly. It seemed that he forced himself to meet Harry's eyes. "You know what happened. You know. You cannot despise me more than I despise myself."

"But I don't despise you —"

"Then you should," said Dumbledore. He drew a deep breath. "You know the secret of my sister's ill health, what those Muggles did, what she became. You know how my poor father sought revenge, and paid the price, died in Azkaban. You know how my mother gave up her own life to care for Ariana.

"I resented it, Harry."

Dumbledore stated it baldly, coldly. He was looking now over the top of Harry's head, into the distance.

"I was gifted, I was brilliant. I wanted to escape. I wanted to shine. I wanted glory.

"Do not misunderstand me," he said, and pain crossed the face so that he looked ancient again. "I loved them. I loved my parents, I loved my brother and my sister, but I was selfish, Harry, more selfish than you, who are a remarkably selfless person, could possibly imagine.

"So that, when my mother died, and I was left the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother, I returned to my village in anger and bitterness. Trapped and wasted, I thought! And then, of course, he came…"

Dumbledore looked directly into Harry's eyes again.

"Grindelwald. You cannot imagine how his ideas caught me, Harry, inflamed me. Muggles forced into subservience. We wizards triumphant. Grindelwald and I, the glorious young leaders of the revolution.

"Oh, I had a few scruples. I assuaged my conscience with empty words. It would all be for the greater good, and any harm done would be repaid a hundredfold in benefits for wizards. Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes. If the plans we were making came to fruition, all my dreams would come true.

"And at the heart of our schemes, the Deathly Hallows! How they fascinated him, how they fascinated both of us! The unbeatable wand, the weapon that would lead us to power! The Resurrection Stone — to him, though I pretended not to know it, it meant an army of Inferi! To me, I confess, it meant the return of my parents, and the lifting of all responsibility from my shoulders.

"And the Cloak… somehow, we never discussed the Cloak much, Harry. Both of us could conceal ourselves well enough without the Cloak, the true magic of which, of course, is that it can be used to protect and shield others as well as its owner. I thought that, if we ever found it, it might be useful in hiding Ariana, but our interest in the Cloak was mainly that it completed the trio, for the legend said that the man who united all three objects would then be truly master of death, which we took to mean 'invincible.'

"Invincible masters of death, Grindelwald and Dumbledore! Two months of insanity, of cruel dreams, and neglect of the only two members of my family left to me.

"And then… you know what happened. Reality returned in the form of my rough, unlettered, and infinitely more admirable brother. I did not want to hear the truths he shouted at me. I did not want to hear that I could not set forth to seek Hallows with a fragile and unstable sister in tow.

"The argument became a fight. Grindelwald lost control. That which I had always sensed in him, though I pretended not to, now sprang into terrible being. And Ariana… after all my mother's care and caution… lay dead upon the floor."

Dumbledore gave a little gasp and began to cry in earnest. Harry reached out gripped his arm tightly and Dumbledore gradually regained control. Alicia wished she could help him and comfort him too, but she was not really here, she was lying on the floor of the Great Hall, her mind eons away, like Harry was likely lying in the forest somewhere. She wondered for a fleeting moment what was happening, was time passing? Had she been out for hours?

"Well, Grindelwald fled, as anyone but I could have predicted. He vanished, with his plans for seizing power, and his schemes for Muggle torture, and his dreams of the Deathly Hallows, dreams in which I had encouraged him and helped him. He ran, while I was left to bury my sister, and learn to live with my guilt and my terrible grief, the price of my shame.

"Years passed. There were rumours about him. They said he had procured a wand of immense power. I, meanwhile, was offered the post of Minister of Magic, not once, but several times. Naturally, I refused. I had learned that I was not to be trusted with power."

A boy could not be trusted, could the man though? Though the cloak, suddenly offered, and he was hooked again, even as a man. Dumbledore it seemed didn't want to tempt himself, and what could anyone say about that?

"But you'd have been better, much better, than Fudge or Scrimgeour!" burst out Harry.

"Would I?" asked Dumbledore heavily. "I am not so sure. I had proven, as a very young man, that power was my weakness and my temptation. It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.

"I was safer at Hogwarts. I think I was a good teacher —"

"You were the best —"

"— you are very kind, Harry. But while I busied myself with the training of young wizards, Grindelwald was raising an army. They say he feared me, and perhaps he did, but less, I think, than I feared him.

"Oh, not death," said Dumbledore, in answer to Harry's questioning look. "Not what he could do to me magically. I knew that we were evenly matched, perhaps that I was a shade more skilful. It was the truth I feared. You see, I never knew which of us, in that last, horrific fight, had actually cast the curse that killed my sister. You may call me cowardly: You would be right. Harry, I dreaded beyond all things the knowledge that it had been I who brought about her death, not merely through my arrogance and stupidity, but that I actually struck the blow that snuffed out her life.

"I think he knew it, I think he knew what frightened me. I delayed meeting him until finally, it would have been too shameful to resist any longer. People were dying and he seemed unstoppable, and I had to do what I could.

"Well, you know what happened next. I won the duel. I won the wand."

Another silence and Alicia was glad Harry did not ask the question of who had snuffed out Ariana, it was an unnecessary piece of information, and it would not bode well to have Dumbledore recite it.

They sat in silence for a long time, and the whimperings of the creature behind them barely disturbed anymore.

At last he said, "Grindelwald tried to stop Voldemort going after the wand. He lied, you know, pretended he had never had it."

Dumbledore nodded, looking down at his lap, tears still glittering on the crooked nose.

"They say he showed remorse in later years, alone in his cell at Nurmengard. I hope that it is true. I would like to think he did feel the horror and shame of what he had done. Perhaps that lie to Voldemort was his attempt to make amends… to prevent Voldemort from taking the Hallow…"

"… or maybe from breaking into your tomb?" suggested Harry, and Dumbledore dabbed his eyes.

After another short pause Harry said, "You tried to use the Resurrection Stone."

Dumbledore nodded.

"When I discovered it, after all those years, buried in the abandoned home of the Gaunts — the Hallow I had craved most of all, though in my youth I had wanted it for very different reasons — I lost my head, Harry. I quite forgot that it was now a Horcrux, that the ring was sure to carry a curse. I picked it up, and I put it on, and for a second I imagined that I was about to see Ariana, and my mother, and my father, and to tell them how very, very sorry I was…

"I was such a fool, Harry. After all those years I had learned nothing. I was unworthy to unite the Deathly Hallows, I had proved it time and again, and here was final proof."

"Why?" said Harry. "It was natural! You wanted to see them again. What's wrong with that?"

"Maybe a man in a million could unite the Hallows, Harry. I was fit only to possess the meanest of them, the least extraordinary. I was fit to own the Elder Wand, and not to boast of it, and not to kill with it. I was permitted to tame and to use it, because I took it, not for gain, but to save others from it.

"But the Cloak, I took out of vain curiosity, and so it could never have worked for me as it works for you, its true owner. The stone I would have used in an attempt to drag back those who are at peace, rather than to enable my self-sacrifice, as you did. You are the worthy possessor of the Hallows."

Dumbledore patted Harry's head and Harry looked up at him, smiling back.

"Alicia kinda guessed you were scared of them."

"If I didn't know better, I'd have said I had a bit of an influence on her, she does piece information together as marvellously as if it was a puzzle piece.

"Why did you have to make it so difficult?"

Dumbledore's smile was tremulous.

"I am afraid I counted on Miss Granger to slow you up, Harry. I was afraid that your hot head might dominate your good heart. I was scared that, if presented outright with the facts about those tempting objects, you might seize the Hallows as I did, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. If you laid hands on them, I wanted you to possess them safely. You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death. He accepts that he must die, and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying."

"What about Alicia?"

"Ah, well, if Alicia had a sentence put on her head such as you, then yes I'd agree. She doesn't wish for power unless to protect, she would love to bring back her family who is now lost, but would not rouse them from their slumber, and she already gave up the Cloak for you. She is just as perfect an owner, however, they seem somewhat pointless in her hands. And given her mind, had she been in your position, I do not believe she'd had believed she'd actually die. Ah, the option would have been there but—"

"She knew I'd live? But she was so upset?"

"She knew it was a possibility, but she did not, I think, want to put all her hopes on you surviving, incase she did loose you, the blow would have been likely detrimental and we both know she's smarter than to do such a thing to herself." Harry smiled slightly.

Alicia was proud of Dumbledore, he did know her so well. At the same time though, she hoped she wasn't so easy to read from others. It'd give a lot away after all.

"And Voldemort never knew about the Hallows?"

"I do not think so, because he did not recognise the Resurrection Stone he turned into a Horcrux. But even if he had known about them, Harry, I doubt that he would have been interested in any except the first. He would not think that he needed the Cloak, and as for the stone, whom would he want to bring back from the dead? He fears the dead. He does not love."

"But you expected him to go after the wand?"

"I have been sure that he would try, ever since your wand beat Voldemort's in the graveyard of Little Hangleton. At first, he was afraid that you had conquered him by superior skill. Once he had kidnapped Ollivander, however, he discovered the existence of the twin cores. He thought that explained everything. Yet the borrowed wand did no better against yours! So Voldemort, instead of asking himself what quality it was in you that had made your wand so strong, what gift you possessed that he did not, naturally set out to find the one wand that, they said, would beat any other. For him, the Elder Wand has become an obsession to rival his obsession with you. He believes that the Elder Wand removes his last weakness and makes him truly invincible. Poor Severus…"

"If you planned your death with Snape, you meant him to end up with the Elder Wand, didn't you?"

"I admit that was my intention," said Dumbledore, "but it did not work as I intended, did it?"

"No," said Harry. "That bit didn't work out."

Okay, so the planned death didn't stop Snape having the wand, but the fact that the wand had flown from Dumbledore's hand before Snape appeared…

Alicia paused. Hang on, Draco had disarmed Dumbledore… didn't that make the wand his? Not Voldemort's or Snape's?

"Alicia knew of your deal with Snape."

"She knew we were planning something, but not until Severus carried out the act, did she understand what it meant."

"That's why she was never angry with him, and why she never worried about him." Harry said "Did she know he sent the doe as well?"

"As it would be insulting to assume Alicia hadn't discovered Snape's care for your mother, I can confidently say she did. Just as she made sure Phineas could hear your location in order for Severus to get you the sword, though without you knowing."

"She never told us?"

"And what would you have said or done? Would you have believed her? Given you never believed why I trusted Severus?" Harry was silent and did not answer but that was enough of his answer.

Alicia smiled at Dumbledore.

"I do hope she succeeds in telling the rest what Severus did, she was so upset he'd die with everyone hating him." Dumbledore confessed.

The creature behind them jerked and moaned, and Harry and Dumbledore sat without talking for the longest time yet.

"I've got to go back, haven't I?"

Alicia looked surprised.

"That is up to you."

"I've got a choice?"

"Oh yes." Dumbledore smiled at him. "We are in King's Cross, you say? I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to… let's say… board a train."

"And where would it take me?"

"On," said Dumbledore simply.

Silence again.

"Voldemort's got the Elder Wand."

"True. Voldemort has the Elder Wand."

"But you want me to go back?"

"I think," said Dumbledore, "that if you choose to return, there is a chance that he may be finished for good. I cannot promise it. But I know this, Harry, that you have less to fear from returning here than he does. However, I do know that Alicia would not forgive you if you chose to leave her, if you had such a choice. She'd understand it I'm sure. She did state to me she'd easily take your place in finishing the job. She is in the same position as you."

"She's just as protected?"

"In a way, but perhaps not as quite." Dumbledore smiled.

Harry glanced again at the raw-looking thing that trembled and choked in the shadow beneath the distant chair.

"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love. By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart. If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say good-bye for the present."

Harry nodded and sighed. He was silent for a minute, contemplating, before Harry stood up, and Dumbledore did the same, Alicia now standing between them. They looked for a long moment into each other's faces.

"Tell me one last thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"

Dumbledore beamed at him, and Alicia found herself laughing, the first noise she'd made since waking up here. The bright mist was descending again, obscuring Dumbledore's figure.

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56:

Her eyes opened. Her back was on the cold floor below her. Nothing seemed to have changed since she'd closed her eyes. Fred and George were looking over her, so was Professor McGonagall. As she watched more people appeared, Bill, Fleur, Kingsley, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Luna, Seamus, Neville. There wasn't much more for more to appear in her vision.

She blinked before her hearing began to work again. People were calling her name, people were asking what happened, if she was alright. She sat up, Fred instantly helped her and she blinked slowly.

"Alicia, are you alright?" he asked her instantly

"What happened?" George questioned

"You suddenly just collapsed?" Fred nodded.

Madam Pomfrey had pushed her way through and she was examining Alicia. Alicia let her as she thought.

Harry was in the forest, by himself, having survived a killing curse a second time. Nagini was still alive, what would Harry do?

She closed her eyes and she was Harry, lying on the ground and laying unmoving. She could feel irritations in him, his body was crumbled on the ground, some limbs on odd angles.

She was in the Great Hal again.

Play dead, that seemed smart until he was out of the presence of Death Eaters. And it was obvious what Voldemort would do, he'd want to proclaim to everyone what had happened.

"I'm fine." Alicia said, almost mechanically as she began to get to her feet. Any pain her body had been in was gone. She felt the crustiness of her face where she'd been crying and she wiped it as she turned for the door.

People were watching her, scared and with worry, but she ignored them all, confused them all, as she began to walk for the door. They said nothing, did not question, but simply watched.

Harry didn't have long. Yes Voldemort would bring him, but Harry was alive. Harry had survived before, Voldemort would take no chance. They'd know he was alive the second they felt his heart… what to do about that?

She barely recognised Fred's hand in her's as he followed her, refusing to leave her, or George who was following her as well. No on else was tailing behind her, they were standing around watching confused and surprised by what had just happened as she entered the Entrance Hall and then moved for the front doors.

Alicia stopped as she felt something come over her. It was weird, she felt like she was floating and she gripped Fred beside her who instantly reached for her too as she stood, transfixed and still. She closed her eyes and saw Harry, he was being thrown into the air. He was thrown a few times into the air and his glasses came off. The Death Eaters were cheering and laughing, they believed him dead, and they were tossing about his body in glee. She opened her eyes as she stood on the front steps and she stared towards the forest.

"Alicia, what's happening?" Fred demanded, and she could hear the worry and strain in his voice. She turned to him.

"Don't despair, everything's fine." she promised as she turned back to stare at the trees. "Trust me, and don't believe anything he says."

"What?" George asked, but Alicia just stared at the trees and waited.

It was a bit before she heard the crashes, giants moving through the tall trees she suspected, of the Forbidden Forest. Birds rose in the darkness and shrieked into the sky.

She saw them first. They appeared at the edge of the forest and she moved down the front steps more, dragging Fred with George following. It seemed they had noticed the figures at the edge of the forest as well. Voldemort was at the front Nagini around his shoulders and free of her cage, moving past Hagrid, so much bigger than all the others and carrying a bundle, who Alicia knew was Harry in his arms.

Voldemort's voice sounded moments later.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

Fred and George looked at Alicia shocked but she had smiled and started chuckling to herself. Harry run? It was as if none of them knew him at all. If anyone believed Voldemort on that, then they did not deserve to fight for him.

"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

Alicia stood before the stairs waiting with the twins on either side of her. But there was silence as she knew everyone was listening and looking at one another with shock. She knew they'd be out behind her in a moment.

Voldemort began moving again and Hagrid and all his followers followed him, away from the trees and towards the front door.

Voldemort saw her first and his face broke out into a malicious smile.

"Well, well, Alicia Potter. Here to see for yourself the death of your last family member?" he taunted. A few Death Eaters laughed.

Alicia simply smiled back at him.

"Only here to see your stupidity thrown back at you." she responded and his own smile faltered as she grinned, seeming to not care about her brother, dead, in Hagrid's arms.

Someone had finally left the Great Hall and come to see who had happened.

"NO!"

The scream was the more terrible because it had never been expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound. Bellatrix began to laugh, gloried in McGonagall's despair.

McGonagall ran down the steps towards Alicia but she rose her arm out beside her and the women stopped, looking surprised. The front steps began to fill with people as they filed out behind the professor and still Fred clung to Alicia's hand extra tightly and George stood on her other side. They stared, transfixed, but did not move or say anything.

Voldemort simply standing a little in front of Hagrid and Harry, stroking Nagini's head with a single white finger. He closed his eyes again.

"No!"

" _No_!"

"Harry! HARRY!"

Ron's, Hermione's, and Ginny's voices were worse than McGonagall's. Alicia did not respond by turning to them, she was simply staring at Voldemort who seemed to relish in the despair of his enemies. The crowd of survivors began screaming and yelling abuse at the Death Eaters, until —

"SILENCE!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

Hagrid did so and Alicia watched Harry.

 _Harry, you alright?_ she asked

 _Alicia?_

 _You really think I wouldn't know if you were dead or not?_ she asked as the smirk stayed on her face.

"You see?" said Voldemort, and he began striding backward and forward right beside the place where Harry lay. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," said Voldemort, and there was relish in his voice for the lie, "killed while trying to save himself —"

Alicia however was laughing again. So many people looked at her like she was mad, Voldemort stared at her.

"Harry? Sneak away? Save himself?" she laughed some more "I must say, considering how many people said you were brilliant Tom, how you were Prefect, Head Boy, and headed for great things such as Minister of Magic, you are so stupid." she insulted and the Death Eaters began to shout at her but Voldemort silenced them with a raise of his hand.

"Just as brave as her mother. And foolish too." he said

"Say what ever you want." Alicia shrugged

"It's amazing, you seem less like Harry than I believed, here you are not caring about his death."

"And what does that tell you Tom?" He looked furious she called him that. "He's my last family member, my brother, and yet here I am, laughing in your face as you declare him dead. And stupidly more so, saying he ran. For the last year Harry Potter has been running around, breaking into the most secure facilities in the country, making it possible to kill you, and yet you say he was running away?" she asked an eyebrow raised. "You are so deluded. And so clueless! No wonder you can never succeed." he was trying to keep his cool but Alicia knew he was beginning to boil below the skin. Her scar didn't prickle, she was no longer connected to him through Harry, that connection was gone, but she'd felt it enough to know him well enough.

"I did not assume you of all people would join me." Voldemort said

"You expected anyone in this castle to do so just because you claim Harry's gone?"

"She's deluded, cannot even use her eyes." Alicia smiled again and Tom seemed to be keeping the glare form his face.

"I don't need eyes to know if my twin's alive or not." she said. Hermione and Ron, who had moved to her side looked at her. "You don't have the capacity to understand Tom, otherwise there are certain things you'd have never dared do. You've completely sealed your own demise."

"You foolish girl. You'll die for a cause that doesn't even exist anymore."

"Doesn't it?" Alicia asked and she stretched her arms out. "Harry wasn't the only one who survived your killing curse that day Tom. I'm here too, the second Potter. Harry wasn't the only one to survive you and keep you from the Philosopher's stone, or defeat your giant basilisk, or escape you in the graveyard, or in the Ministry, or even during the summer when Harry was taken from his home to a safe place. No one might call me it Tom, but I'm still The Girl Who Survived you, more times than any, just like Harry." she dropped her arms to her hips, cockily. "If people need something to believe in, here I am."

"An easy fix." Tom believed, his wand in his hand.

Alicia laughed some more.

"Ignorance. You can't touch me!" she exclaimed "That's what happens when a person sacrifices themselves for others. They become protected, its why you couldn't touch Harry or I for fourteen years! You never learn, here you are, enacting the same old magic you faced seventeen years ago and making the same mistakes."

"That barrier was overcome."

"That barrier is what's sealed your defeat Tom Riddle. And despite knowing of such a barrier, you allowed another to be put up." Alicia said "And you were foolish to let Harry face you and not defend himself. You shouldn't have come here, nor should you have brought Harry. And no matter what you say, no one here will join you!" she shouted.

Neville pushed forwards beside Alicia.

"We'll join you when hell freezes over," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army!" he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd. Alicia smirked and Voldemort stared at her, furiously.

"And who is this?" he said in his soft snake's hiss, trying to keep himself composed. "Who has volunteered beside Alicia Potter to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"

Bellatrix gave a delighted laugh.

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"

"Ah, yes, I remember," said Voldemort, looking at Neville.

"A lost battle. A battle isn't lost as long as there's still one more person to fight for it." Alicia said and there were cheers from behind her.

"Very well," said Voldemort, and Alicia heard more danger in the silkiness of his voice than in the most powerful curse, but it did not worry her, he could not fight such ancient magic, especially with a wand that wasn't his. "If that is your choice, Alicia, we revert to the original plan. On your head," he said quietly, "be it."

Alicia stood and watched him as Voldemort waved his wand.

Seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through the half light and landed in Voldemort's hand. He shook the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat.

"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," said Voldemort. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"

He pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, was forced forwards away from Alicia and towards Voldemort, then forced to put the hat onto his own head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. There were movements from the watching crowd in front of the castle, and as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, holding the fighters of Hogwarts at bay.

"No." Alicia said and she stopped everyone moving, her eyes fixed on Neville.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.

Screams split the dawn, and Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move. Alicia moved instantly to act but she was not the only one.

They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the out-of-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries.

At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: They ran at Grawp like bull elephants, making the earth quake. Then came hooves and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise.

 _If you're gonna move, move now._ Alicia said.

Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak from inside his robes, swung it over himself, and sprang to his feet, as Neville moved too. Alicia shot a curse off at the Death Eaters as they were distracted and a few followed her lead.

In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle —

The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet —

Alicia moved instantly with glee and a shield charm erupted between Neville and Voldemort, but her's had not been the only one.

"Not any more Tom." Alicia said and her voice drew his attention. "You will cast no more harm!" He looked at her with absolute rage.

Then, over the screams and the roars and the thunderous stamps of the battling giants, Hagrid's yell came loudest of all.

"HARRY!" Hagrid shouted. "HARRY — WHERE'S HARRY?"

Chaos reigned. The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was fleeing the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where; the great winged creatures soaring around the heads of Voldemort's giants, thestrals and Buckbeak the hippogriff scratching at their eyes while Grawp punched and pummelled them; and now the wizards, defenders of Hogwarts and Death Eaters alike, were being forced back into the castle.

Voldemort had turned his attention to the only Potter left and she flourished her wand as he advanced her in his anger. Death Eaters fell around them as they scampered and Alicia knew Harry was around her somewhere, buffeting his way into the hall.

Alicia continued to back up and into the Great Hall, Voldemort pursuing her. The Death Eaters were fighting again as Voldemort shouted instructions at them, but his eyes stayed on Alicia. His spells could not touch her though.

In the corner of her eye she noticed there seemed to be even more people than before, Charlie Weasley had emerged from no where and Horace Slughorn was back in his Emerald Green pyjamas still and there seemed to be so many family and friends who were now in the hall, having come to fight the last of the battle as the news had leaked out of what was happening, bring the reinforcements. There were even the shopkeepers and homeowners of Hogsmeade. Centaurs burst into the room as well. Bane, Ronan and Magorian with a clatter of hooves. A hoard of house elves sawed in next, headed by Kreacher who had his locket bouncing on his chest. They were waving carving knives and cleavers, screaming. Kreacher's voice sounded above them all. "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master and Mistress, defenders of house-elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the name of brave Regulus! Fight!"

They were hacking and stabbing at the ankles and shins of Death Eaters, their tiny faces alive with malice, and everywhere Death Eaters were folding under sheer weight of numbers, overcome by spells, dragging arrows from wounds, stabbed in the leg by elves, or else simply attempting to escape, but swallowed by the oncoming horde. Yaxley was slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan, Dolohov fell with a scream at Flitwick's hands, Walden Macnair was thrown across the room by Hagrid, hit the stone wall opposite, and slide unconscious to the ground. Ron and Neville brought down Fenrir Greyback, Aberforth Stunned Rookwood, Arthur and Fred floored Thicknesse, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were running through the crowd, not even attempting to fight, screaming for their son.

But Voldemort did not stop, was not being overcome. Alicia wasn't enough and she knew that, but she just had to be there long enough.

And then she was not alone. McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley were by her side. Voldemort's face corrupted more, cold hatred within it. But it was not enough.

Bellatrix was still fighting too, fifty yards away from Voldemort, and like her master she duelled three at once: Hermione, Ginny, and Luna, all battling their hardest, but Bellatrix was equal to them, and Alicia's attention was diverted from Voldemort as a Killing Curse shot so close to Ginny that she missed death by an inch —

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with a swipe of her wand she began to duel.

Molly Weasley's wand slashed and twirled, and Bellatrix Lestrange's smile faltered and became a snarl. Jets of light flew from both wands, the floor around the witches' feet became hot and cracked; both women were fighting to kill.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley cried as a few students ran forward, trying to come to her aid. "Get back! _Get back_! She is mine!"

Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights, Voldemort and his three opponents, as Mcgonagall had pushed Alicia back, out of harms way as though fearing she'd end up like Harry had seemed, and Bellatrix and Molly.

"What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" taunted Bellatrix, as mad as her master, capering as Molly's curses danced around her. "When Mummy's gone the same way as Percy?"

"You — will — never — touch — our — children — again!" screamed Mrs. Weasley.

Bellatrix laughed, the same exhilarated laugh her cousin Sirius had given as he toppled backward through the veil, and suddenly Alicia knew what was going to happen before it did.

Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart.

Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed.

McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort's fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley.

Alicia didn't act fast enough the someone else did and the voice that sounded through the hall was one she'd never misplace.

" _Protego_!" roared Harry, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak at last. He stood right beside Alicia who crossed her arms with a huff and smirked turning to him.

The yell of shock, the cheers, the screams on every side of "Harry!" "HE'S ALIVE!"

"Nice of you to finally show." Alicia said "Get bored of playing dead?"

"No more than you were bored of calling Tom stupid." Harry said. Alicia shrugged

"He is." she murmured and if not for the situation as the twins turned back to Voldemort, some people may have laughed.

But no, this was not the time. The crowd was afraid, and silence fell abruptly and completely as Voldemort and Harry looked at each other.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57:

"I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

He looked at his sister who instantly looked ready to argue, but even she knew this was how it had to be. She looked at him and then turned to Voldemort before she took a step backwards.

This seemed to be the defining motion and not a single person seemed ready to argue, if even Alicia wasn't.

Voldemort hissed.

"Potter doesn't mean that," he said, his red eyes wide. "That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter? Your poor sister?"

"Poor." Alicia huffed, insulted by the word but scoffing regardless.

"Nobody," said Harry simply. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…"

"One of us?" jeered Voldemort, and his whole body was taut and his red eyes stared, a snake that was about to strike. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

And Alicia laughed some more, several people turning to her. Harry however had the explanation.

"Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me and Alicia?" asked Harry. "Accident, when we decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

" _Accidents_!" screamed Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and the watching crowd was frozen as if Petrified. "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and snivelled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"

"You're so ignorant." Alicia said "Those weren't accidents. They were stupidity, carelessness, over confidence by you. Just like the boy who believed he was the only one smart enough to find the Room of Requirement. Shall we see a raise of hands of who's been in there? Cause I can name at least twenty students right now." she said, her temper rising.

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," said Harry as they stared into each other's eyes, green into red. "You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people —"

"But you did not!"

"— I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"

" _You dare_ —"

"Yes, I dare," said Harry. "Like my sister, as she said some things to you before, I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"

Voldemort did not speak, but Harry knew that he kept him temporarily mesmerised and at bay, held back by the faintest possibility that Harry might indeed know a final secret…

"Is it love again?" said Voldemort, his snake's face jeering. "Dumbledore's favourite solution, _love,_ which he claimed conquered death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? _Love,_ which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter — and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. Not even your beloved sister."

"He doesn't need me to, you've failed so many times to kill him, and yet you still think you can, like he's a simple flame?" Alicia said "We know so much more than you do." she grinned.

"So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"

"Just one thing," said Harry, and still they circled each other, wrapped in each other, held apart by nothing but the last secret.

"If it is not love that will save you this time," said Voldemort, "you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

"I believe both," said Harry, and shock flitted across the snakelike face, though it was instantly dispelled; Voldemort began to laugh, and the sound was more frightening than his screams; humourless and insane, it echoed around the silent Hall.

"You think _you_ know more magic than I do?" he said. "Than _I,_ than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

Alicia was laughing now but Harry spoke instead of her.

"Oh, he dreamed of it," said Harry, "but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."

"You mean he was weak!" screamed Voldemort. "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!"

"No, he was cleverer than you," said Harry, "a better wizard, a better man."

"You're the weak one. You know no bounds and so you seal your own fait. Taking in Harry's blood, you all but kept him alive all this time. Constantly letting him into your head, you gave him a scapegoat to your plans. Hey, did you ever even consider why you and Harry had this weird connection?" Alicia asked "Dumbledore did."

"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"

"You thought you did," said Harry, "but you were wrong."

"Tom Riddle kill Dumbledore, what a stupid notion, a boy's dream." Alicia said

For the first time, the watching crowd stirred as the hundreds of people around the walls drew breath as one.

" _Dumbledore is dead_!" Voldemort hurled the words at Harry as though they would cause him unendurable pain. "His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"

"Yes, Dumbledore's dead," said Harry calmly, "but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant."

"What childish dream is this?" said Voldemort, but still he did not strike, and his red eyes did not waver from Harry's.

"Dumbledore had a cursed hand, cursed by you in a way, that was killing him all of last year." Alicia said "And he was more than aware that you had ordered Draco Malfoy to kill him, or Draco would die instead. And so, Dumbledore made a plan, to stop Draco's soul being destroyed, and to stop himself from dying a terrible death by the curse of his hand. Everyone in this hall can tell you how his hand had been blackened and shrivelled." Alicia said and Voldemort turned his eyes from Harry to her before Harry spoke next.

"Severus Snape wasn't yours," said Harry. "Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realised it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle?"

Voldemort did not answer.

"Snape's Patronus was a doe," said Harry, "the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realised," he said as he saw Voldemort's nostrils flare, "he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"

"He desired her, that was all," sneered Voldemort, "but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him —"

"Of course he told you that," said Harry and Alicia together,

"But he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!"

"It matters not!" shrieked Voldemort, who had followed every word with rapt attention, but now let out a cackle of mad laughter. "It matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great _love_! Oh, but it all makes sense, Potter, and in ways that you do not understand!

"Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy — I reached the wand before you could get your hands on it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape three hours ago, and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!"

Alicia laughed.

"You got the wand because we let you." Alicia said and Voldemort stared at her now as she stood opposite him, and Harry paused beside her. "We knew you were after it, we watched you hunt down Gregorovitch and kill him, and then head to Nurmengard and kill Grindelwald who had it next. And I knew if Grindelwald had it last, than Dumbledore would be buried with it. Why do you think we let you have it?" She sort of changed the facts a little but she saw the look in Voldemort's eyes and enjoyed it. She wondered for a moment if it was sadistic, but it was important for the man to realise how wrong he had gone.

"Yeah, it did, Dumbledore's plans changed," said Harry. "You're right. But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done… Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle…"

"What is this?"

Of all the things that Harry had said to him, beyond any revelation or taunt, nothing had shocked Voldemort like this. His pupils contracted to thin slits, the skin around his eyes whitened. Alicia huffed, that would never happen.

"It's your one last chance," said Harry, "it's all you've got left… I've seen what you'll be otherwise… Be a man… try… Try for some remorse…"

"You dare — ?" said Voldemort again.

"Yes, I dare," said Harry, "because Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle."

Voldemort's hand was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Harry gripped Draco's very tightly.

"That wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed —"

"Aren't you listening? _Snape never beat Dumbledore_! Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort's voice shook with malicious pleasure. "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes! Its power is mine!"

"You can't just take a wand as old as the Elder wand and possess it in true power." Alicia said "You never listen do you?"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? _The wand chooses the wizard…_ The Elder Wand recognised a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realising exactly what he had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance…"

Voldemort's chest rose and fell rapidly as his wand was pointed at Harry's face.

"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

Blank shock showed in Voldemort's face for a moment, but then it was gone.

"He disarmed Draco that night on the Astronomy tower, and then they had a nice lengthy chat before Snape ever arrived." Alicia said

"But what does it matter?" he said softly. "Even if you are right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the phoenix wand: We duel on skill alone… and after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy…"

"But you're too late," said Harry. "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him."

Harry twitched the hawthorn wand, and he felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall upon it. Alicia smirked.

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Harry. "Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does… I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort's was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco's wand:

" _Avada Kedavra_!"

" _Expelliarmus_!"

The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead centre of the circle between them, marked the point where the spells collided. Voldemort's green jet meet Harry's own spell, the Elder Wand flew high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy's shell.

One shivering second of silence, the shock of the moment suspended. Alicia ran at Harry, threw her arms around him and held him close before she beamed at him. And then the tumult broke around Harry as the screams and the cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. The fierce new sun dazzled the windows as they thundered toward the twins, and the first to reach them were Ron and Hermione, and it was their arms that were wrapped around the two as Alicia didn't relinquish her brother, their incomprehensible shouts that deafened them.

 _Harry._

 _Yes?_

 _Don't you ever die on me again._

 _I didn't die._

 _You had the choice to._

 _How do you know?_

 _You really think you're gonna get hit with a killing curse and it wont effect me?_ Harry looked at her surprised over everything and she grinned. _And Dumbledore was right, I would never forgive you if you left me here by myself to deal with all that._

Ginny, Neville, and Luna were there past Hermione and Ron, and then all the Weasleys and Hagrid, and Kingsley and McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout, and not a word that anyone was shouting could be made out, nor tell whose hands were seizing Harry, pulling him, trying to hug some part of him, hundreds of them pressing in, all of them determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the reason it was over at last —

The sun rose steadily over Hogwarts, and the Great Hall blazed with life and light. People spoke, clasped hands and said their thanks to Harry here there and everywhere. Everyone seemed to want him there with them, their leader and symbol, their saviour and their guide.

The news now crept in from every quarter as the morning drew on; that the Imperiused up and down the country had come back to themselves, that Death Eaters were fleeing or else being captured, that the innocent of Azkaban were being released at that very moment, and that Kingsley Shacklebolt had been named temporary Minister of Magic…

They moved Voldemort's body and laid it in a chamber off the Hall, away from the bodies of Percy, Tonks, Lupin, Colin Creevey, and fifty others who had died fighting for Harry. McGonagall had replaced the House tables, but nobody was sitting according to House anymore: All were jumbled together, teachers and pupils, ghosts and parents, centaurs and house-elves, and Firenze lay recovering in a corner, and Grawp peered in through a smashed window, and people were throwing food into his laughing mouth.

Fred turned to Alicia the second he could and held out his hand. She rose an eyebrow at him but he gave her a knowing look.

"Come on." and so she reached into her pocket, where the velvet box, which had luckily not moved, still remained and she placed it in his hand. He suddenly stood up and to her surprise he climbed up onto the table, being careful of the food, and stood there before her, gaining a few's attention.

Alicia was reminded of their fourth year when Fred had asked Angelina Johnson to the Yule Ball, he'd shouted it across the Common Room. She gapped at him, stunned by the likely bold declaration he was about to make.

"Alicia Potter!" and several people turned to him as he grinned at her, his voice loud. She just sat before him in surprise.

He opened the and she saw the ring, with an emerald in the centre, surrounded by a few small diamonds.

"I think it's about time." he grinned at her.

She waited before crossing her arms.

"Well?" she said when he didn't speak. "You actually gonna ask me?" The hall seemed rather silent as he grinned at her while a few laughed.

"Will you, Alicia Potter, do me the honour, of marrying me?" So many people gasped and girls started giggling, a few people wolf whistled.

"Do I get time to think about it?" she asked and a few laughed as she grinned. Fred rolled his eyes before he and George together got Alicia up and forced onto the table beside him above everyone else.

Many people called to her and shouted just to say yes and she glanced around at them all before sighing dramatically.

"Well… I suppose I could agree." she said and many people encouraged her, rolling their eyes at her response. She smiled at Fred. "Yes." heaps of people jumped up and started cheering, the closest around the two congratulating them as Fred took the ring and slipped it onto the third finger on Alicia's left hand, a shining emerald that matched her eyes.

She smirked at him before throwing her arms around his neck and the two shared a kiss which brought more responses from those in the hall.

"Gosh, just cause the war's over." Seamus said, his voice carrying over many others as he was near the two.

Alicia simply grinned as they broke apart.

"Well, it was about time." she said to him and Fred nodded.

"We having a beach wedding then?" George asked loudly and the two laughed.

The two climbed down from the table to have people surround them and congratulate them, girl's grabbed Alicia's hand and looked at the ring, cooing at it and expressing their jealousy while smiling at her.

Amongst everything there was a tap on Alicia's shoulder and she turned before a voice sounded from no where by her ear.

"Need an escape?" Harry asked quietly. He was clearly hidden under the cloak.

"Looks like it." she responded before she kissed Fred's cheek, who was being clapped on the back. Before he could turn to her and grin his usual grin though, she had gone and was under the cloak.

"Had to make a spectacle?" he asked her and she shrugged.

"Not me who made the spectacle." she confessed but looked down at the ring grinning.

"Can't say I'm surprised. Even if you are only seventeen."

"I am, Fred's nineteen remember. Besides, who cares about age." she said smiling. "So seeing as Dad can't, you gonna walk me down the isle?" Harry scoffed and Alicia laughed.

They moved, looking around at the families around them: Ginny was two tables away; she was sitting with her head on her mother's shoulder. Neville, the sword of Gryffindor lying beside his plate as he ate, was surrounded by a knot of fervent admirers. Along the aisle between the tables they walked, they spotted the three Malfoys, huddled together as though unsure whether or not they were supposed to be there, but nobody was paying them any attention. And finally, the two that Harry seemed, obviously, to be searching for, came into sight.

"It's me," he muttered, crouching down between them.

"Hope you don't mind leaving." Alicia chuckled

"Will you come with me?"

They stood up at once, and together the twins, Ron, and Hermione left the Great Hall. Great chunks were missing from the marble staircase, part of the balustrade gone, and rubble and bloodstains occurred every few steps as they climbed.

Alicia ducked out from under the cloak and Hermione gripped her instantly.

"Ohh, congratulations." she said, hugging her and Alicia chuckled as she held up her hand. "Honestly I gotta say, he picked well." and Hermione nodded as they admired the ring on her finger. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Women."

"Careful, you're gonna be related to me now. No escaping if you piss me off." Alicia warned him. Ron shared a look with Harry as the boy laughed, having pulled his cloak off.

Somewhere in the distance they could hear Peeves zooming through the corridors singing a victory song of his own composition:

 _We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter_ _'_ _s the one,_

 _And Voldy_ _'_ _s gone mouldy, so now let_ _'_ _s have fun!_

"Really gives a feeling for the scope and tragedy of the thing, doesn't it?" said Ron, pushing open a door to let Harry and Hermione through.

"I'm sure we'll be alright eventually." Alicia said. "We'll get there. We have time now after all."

They hadn't had a destination in mind, but they seemed to all have silently picked one. They arrived at the corridor, where the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's study had been knocked aside; it stood lopsided, looking a little punch-drunk, whether it would be able to distinguish passwords anymore as a rather good question.

"Can we go up?" Harry asked the gargoyle.

"Feel free," groaned the statue.

They clambered over him and onto the spiral stone staircase that moved slowly upward like an escalator. Harry pushed open the door at the top. Like when Alicia had been here so many times before, the pensieve now sat on the desk, likely from where Harry had left it after watching Snape's memories. She again wondered what he'd seen in full?

And then an earsplitting noise made Harry cry out and Alicia jump. With all the curses they'd been hearing all night it was the first thing that came to her mind. But it was applause. All around the walls, the headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts were giving Harry a standing ovation; they waved their hats and in some cases their wigs, they reached through their frames to grip each other's hands; they danced up and down on the chairs in which they had been painted; Dilys Derwent sobbed unashamedly; Dexter Fortescue was waving his ear-trumpet; and Phineas Nigellus called, in his high, reedy voice, "And let it be noted that Slytherin House played its part! Let our contribution not be forgotten!"

"Well, it definitely wont be, not with a brave man such as Severus Snape who was headmaster in the worst time." Alicia said smiling at him, making the promise.

Harry however was staring at a single portrait. The man who stood in the largest portrait directly behind the headmaster's chair. Tears were sliding down from behind the half-moon spectacles into the long silver beard. Alicia smiled at him too.

At last, Harry held up his hands, and the portraits fell respectfully silent, beaming and mopping their eyes and waiting eagerly for him to speak. He directed his words at Dumbledore, however.

"The thing that was hidden in the Snitch," he began, "I dropped it in the forest. I don't know exactly where, but I'm not going to go looking for it again. Do you agree?"

Alicia looked at him, but smiled. Perhaps he had been right in Harry having the stone in his snitch. What had he seen? Their parents and Sirius? Perhaps Lupin too? For a moment she wished she'd been there. But that was not how it was.

Though she was envious Harry got to see them, it was something she couldn't help.

"My dear boy, I do," said Dumbledore, while his fellow pictures looked confused and curious. "A wise and courageous decision, but no less than I would have expected of you. Does anyone else know where it fell?"

"No one," said Harry, and Dumbledore nodded his satisfaction.

"Well I'm sure I could figure it out." Alicia said and Dumbledore chuckled as she smiled, not meaning a word of insinuation.

"I'm going to keep Ignotus's present, though," said Harry, and Dumbledore beamed.

"But of course, Harry, it is yours forever, until you pass it on!" "

And then there's this." Harry held up the Elder Wand, and Ron and Hermione looked at it with a reverence.

"I don't want it," said Harry.

"What?" said Ron loudly. "Are you mental?"

"I know it's powerful," said Harry wearily. "But I was happier with mine. So…"

He rummaged in the pouch hung around his neck, and pulled out the two halves of holly still just connected by the finest thread of phoenix feather. Hermione had said that they could not be repaired, that the damage was too severe. But then, in Harry's hand was a wand that could do miraculous things apparently.

He laid the broken wand upon the headmaster's desk, touched it with the very tip of the Elder Wand, and said, " _Reparo._ "

As his wand resealed, red sparks flew out of its end. Alicia grinned as Harry picked up the holly and phoenix wand

"I'm putting the Elder Wand," he told Dumbledore, who was watching him with enormous affection and admiration, "back where it came from. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated. That'll be the end of it."

Dumbledore nodded. They smiled at each other.

"Are you sure?" said Ron. There was the faintest trace of longing in his voice as he looked at the Elder Wand.

"That's what makes Harry the true owner of the Hallows. He doesn't covert them, he doesn't desire them, he doesn't use them to meet an ends. He's someone who happened to be tempted and fought such temptation. He didn't need such things." Alicia smiled "And who better to master Death, than one who's not afraid of it?" Harry smiled back at her.

"I think Harry's right," said Hermione quietly.

"That wand's more trouble than it's worth," said Harry. "And quite honestly," he turned away from the painted portraits. "I've had enough trouble for a lifetime."

Alicia chuckled and she moved to place a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"What kind of trouble we talking, cause it's not quite over." she said and the three looked at her. She held up her hand with the emerald ring, declaring it again and Hermione chuckled as it drew all three of their eyes.

"How long should we go before we plan another wedding?" she asked amused.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58:

Nineteen Years Later.

Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September was crisp and golden as an apple, and as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road toward the great sooty station, the fumes of car exhausts and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air. Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly, and the redheaded girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her father's arm.

"It won't be long, and you'll be going too," Harry told her.

"Two years," sniffed Lily. "I want to go _now_!"

The commuters stared curiously at the owls as the family wove its way toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Albus's voice drifted back to Harry over the surrounding clamour; his sons had resumed the argument they had started in the car.

"I _won_ _'t_! I _won_ _'t_ be in Slytherin!"

"James, give it a rest!" said Ginny.

"I only said he _might_ be," said James, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He _might_ be in Slyth —"

But James caught his mother's eye and fell silent. The five Potters approached the barrier. With a slightly cocky look over his shoulder at his younger brother, James took the trolley from his mother and broke into a run. A moment later, he had vanished.

"You'll write to me, won't you?" Albus asked his parents immediately, capitalising on the momentary absence of his brother.

"Every day, if you want us to," said Ginny.

"Not _every_ day," said Albus quickly. "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month."

"We wrote to James three times a week last year," said Ginny.

"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts," Harry put in. "He likes a laugh, your brother."

Side by side, they pushed the second trolley forward, gathering speed. As they reached the barrier, Albus winced, but no collision came. Instead, the family emerged onto platform nine and three-quarters, which was obscured by thick white steam that was pouring from the scarlet Hogwarts Express. Indistinct figures were swarming through the mist, into which James had already disappeared.

"Where are they?" asked Albus anxiously, peering at the hazy forms they passed as they made their way down the platform.

"We'll find them," said Ginny reassuringly.

But the vapour was dense, and it was difficult to make out anybody's faces. Detached from their owners, voices sounded unnaturally loud.

 _You took your time._ Harry smirked slightly at the familiar voice.

 _Where are you?_

 _Just walk up the platform._ Harry turned to Ginny and nodded his head before leading the way.

"I think that's them, Al," said Ginny suddenly.

A group of six people emerged from the mist, standing alongside the very last carriage. Their faces only came into focus when Harry, Ginny, Lily, and Albus had drawn right up to them.

"Hi," said Albus, sounding immensely relieved.

Rose, who was already wearing her brand-new Hogwarts robes, beamed at him.

"Parked all right, then?" Ron asked Harry. "I did. Hermione didn't believe I could pass a Muggle driving test, did you? She thought I'd have to Confund the examiner."

"No, I didn't," said Hermione, "I had complete faith in you."

"Well I had no faith," Alicia said as Fred had an arm around her shoulder. "I bet you did confound him." Ron shot her a look and she winked.

Ron and Harry lifted Albus' trunk and owl onto the train, muttering to one another as they did.

"I still say we should have flying carpets." Fred said thinking

"And run into ducks in the sky? No thank you." Alicia responded as Harry and Ron came back.

Lily and Hugo, Rose's younger brother, were having an animated discussion about which House they would be sorted into when they finally went to Hogwarts.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," said Ron, "but no pressure."

" _Ron_! "

Lily and Hugo laughed, but Albus and Rose looked solemn.

"He doesn't mean it," said Hermione and Ginny, but Ron was no longer paying attention.

"Yeah don't worry. Harry, remember how green Ron was before he put the hat on, surprised he didn't faint." Alicia said "He always worried if he'd be a Gryffindor." she told the children.

"Ickle Ronnikins was so worried the day he got on the Hogwarts Express." Fred agreed and Albus and Rose laughed as their aunt and uncle winked at them.

"Where're the twins?" Ginny suddenly asked, looking around.

"Likely off tormenting someone." Alicia sighed, looking upwards and Fred nodded as if proud. Alicia hit him over the head, earning a laugh from the children around them.

"What about Blake?" Harry asked

"I think she actually spotted a friend of her's." Alicia said thinking "Such a popular child that one."

"Like her father." Alicia scoffed

"Like her mother." she contradicted and Fred shrugged.

"Can't be denied." and the women grinned.

Ron's attention had been caught by something and his voice drew the attention of those around him.

"Look who it is."

About fifty yards away, through the steam which had thinned for a moment, were three people, who stood in sharp relief against the shifting mist.

Draco Malfoy was standing there with his wife and son, a dark coat buttoned up to his throat. His hair was receding somewhat, which emphasised the pointed chin. The new boy resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry. Draco caught sight of Harry, Alicia, Ron, Hermione, Fred and Ginny staring at him, nodded curtly, and turned away again.

"So that's little Scorpius," said Ron under his breath. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

"Not like you have any to give,." Fred smirked. Alicia snickered but at the look on Ron's face she turned and hit Fred.

"Don't say that!." she scolded "In front of him." she added in a whisper and Fred laughed before kissing her cheek.

"Ron, for heaven's sake," said Hermione, half stern, half amused. "Don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," said Ron, but unable to help himself, he added, "Don't get _too_ friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pureblood."

"Oh, he'd be fine." Alicia said rolling her eyes before she leaned down "A better goal is to set yourself up to beat Blake, she's held the highest scores so far in her year." she winked and Rose grinned.

"Hey!"

James had reappeared and with him was a girl who greatly resembled Alicia with her black hair, but brown eyes from her father. They seemed evidently bursting with news.

"Teddy's back there," he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulder into the billowing clouds of steam. "Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? _Snogging Victoire_!"

He gazed up at the adults, evidently disappointed by the lack of reaction.

"Seriously James, it's not that big of a deal." the girl, Blake, said rolling her eyes in a fashion that greatly resembled her mother.

" _Our_ Teddy! _Teddy Lupin_! Snogging _our_ Victoire! _Our_ cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing —"

"You interrupted them?" said Ginny. "You are _so_ like Ron —"

"— and he said he'd come to see her off! And then he told me to go away. He's _snogging_ her!" James added as though worried he had not made himself clear.

"Well he's old enough to do what he wants." Blake added

"That's our girl." Alicia and Fred grinned, sharing a fist bump. Blake rolled her eyes at her parents antics and the two winked at her.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married!" whispered Lily ecstatically. "Teddy would _really_ be part of the family then!"

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," said Harry. "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"

"Yeah!" said James enthusiastically. "I don't mind sharing with Al — Teddy could have my room!"

"No," said Harry firmly, "you and Al will share a room only when I want the house demolished."

Alicia laughed. "I'm surprised he's there so often."

"He visit's us twice a week?" Fred reminded her

"Yeah well your boys annoy him too much I expect for him to come more." Alicia said and Fred smirked.

"Who do we annoy?" two boys with red hair and the green eyes of Lily Potter appeared beside Alicia and Fred, both as identical as the other. Being twins themselves, it seemed only natural that the two would have twins, twin boys in this case.

"Teddy was kissing Victorie!" James exclaimed, clearly wanting a certain reaction.

"Oh that," Jack said waving his hands dismissively as if it was old news.

"They've been going out for ages." Dale agreed.

"Met when Teddy was still at Hogwarts." Jack nodded.

"You never told us?" James asked, looking at his older cousins annoyed. They shrugged.

"Now where have you two been?" Alicia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Always the suspicious tone." Dale said in a manner much like his father.

"Like you can blame them." Blake added as she eyed her older brothers suspiciously.

"I just had to have a miniature version of Fred and George didn't I?" Alicia whispered to Ginny and Hermione, the younger of which who chuckled.

"Well who can deal with them best?" Ginny offered and Alicia couldn't argue.

"Mean's I've got someone to pam the business onto." Fred chuckled as he heard her.

"They'd do it too." Alicia mused.

Harry was checking the battered old watch that had once been Fabian Prewett's.

"It's nearly eleven, you'd better get on board."

"Don't forget to give Neville our love!" Ginny told James as she hugged him.

"Mum! I can't give a professor _love_!"

"But you _know_ Neville —"

James rolled his eyes.

"Outside, yeah, but at school he's Professor Longbottom, isn't he? I can't walk into Herbology and give him _love_ _…_ "

"Yeah mum." Alicia said and Ginny shot her a look as Alicia smirked.

"All you have to do James is say we say high." Alicia shrugged "Is that so hard?" she mocked slightly as James was shaking his head at his mother's foolishness, he vented his feelings by aiming a kick at Albus. He looked at his Aunt who winked at him.

Alicia then moved behind her two sons.

"Now I don't need you being sent to the Headmaster's office once this year, you got it?" she demanded, her hands on their shoulders. The boys were fifteen and easily reaching her height. Like most of the Weasley's they were likely to be tall.

"Yes mum." they chorused, knowing better than to argue with her.

"I don't need to be seen punishing my own children every five minutes." she said as she patted their shoulders. "Or confiscating their father's merchandise." she said turning to Fred, he flashed her a grin. "Especially during their O.W.L year. Your goal is to get more O. then your father."

"Haven't we established that O. aren't necessary?" Fred asked his wife.

"Still a good goal to have." she shrugged before turning to her boys "Not that it should be hard." she whispered and they snickered.

"Bye mum." Blake hugged her mother, her black hair braided down her back, as the twins shared a grin their their father, who whispered something to them as Alicia smiled at her girl.

"Watch out for James, he's a trouble maker just like his grandfather." she warned eyeing the boy. He grinned, not at all insulted by this. "Don't forget, I know about that cloak." she warned.

"Someone's gotta keep him in line." Blake nodded in agreement.

"That's my girl." Alicia smiled, kissing her cheek. "And just watch Albus, you know how worried he can get." she whispered.

"I'll look out for him. And them too." she said pointing at her older twin brothers. Alicia grinned at her daughter.

"And don't loose that map." Blake grinned at her mother as she shook her head.

"Never." and Alicia smiled

"And Fred, what ever you tell them, I will know." Alicia shot at her husband as her twin sons disappeared onto the train with a wave. Fred shrugged innocently.

"Who said I did anything?" Blake laughed at her father before giving him a hug and grabbing James' arm.

"Come on." she said tugging him to the train.

"See you later, Al. Watch out for the thestrals." James said

"I thought they were invisible? _You said they were invisible_!"

But James merely laughed, permitted his mother to kiss him, gave his father a fleeting hug, then leapt onto the rapidly filling train with his cousin. They saw the two wave, then sprint away up the corridor to find their friends.

"Thestrals are nothing to worry about," Harry told Albus. "They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them."

"They're amazing Al, like a pet." Alicia smiled

"Don't tell the twins that." Ginny said

"Don't worry, we've already had that conversion." Alicia sighed and Ginny and Hermione chuckled.

"Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats." Harry continued

Ginny kissed Albus good-bye.

"See you at Christmas."

"Bye, Al," said Harry as his son hugged him. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone till you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up."

"Bye Aunt Alicia, Bye Uncle Fred." Rose waved as she got on the train and the two waved.

"Have fun, Rose." Alicia grinned as Harry was talking to his youngest son.

"Harry, hurry up or he'll be left behind." Alicia said as the train doors began to slam all along the scarlet train, and the blurred outlines of parents were swarming forward for final kisses, last-minute reminders. "Remember when you, me and Ron missed the train once? We don't need a repeat." she warned.

"What happened?" Lily asked grinning

"We stole Grandad Weasley's flying car and flew to Hogwarts." Alicia answered

"And I'm where our twins get the rebellious nature from." Fred said with a raised eyebrow. Alicia grinned at him with a wink.

Albus jumped into the carriage and Ginny closed the door behind him. Students were hanging from the windows nearest them. A great number of faces, both on the train and off, seemed to be turned toward Harry.

"Why are they all _staring_?" demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students.

"Don't let it worry you," said Ron. "It's me. I'm extremely famous."

"Yeah, you're the famous one." Alicia rolled her eyes, but waved to a few of the familiar faces around her as they waved at her.

Albus, Rose, Hugo, and Lily laughed.

"I'll see you all later." Alicia grinned waving at those on the train.

The train began to move, and Harry walked alongside it, watching his son's thin face, already ablaze with excitement. Harry kept smiling and waving, even though it was like a little bereavement, watching his son glide away from him…

The last trace of steam evaporated in the autumn air. The train rounded a corner. Harry's hand was still raised in farewell.

"He'll be all right," murmured Ginny.

"He's strong like his dad." Alicia smiled as she joined them.

"Strong like his aunt." Fred disagreed and Alicia smiled at him.

As Harry looked at the two, he lowered his hand absentmindedly and touched the lightning scar on his forehead.

"I know he will."

The scar had not pained Harry, and therefore nor Alicia, for nineteen years. All was well.

Alicia stood beside her brother and they shared a smile as she placed her arm around his shoulders and gave it a little squeeze.

* * *

 **So apparently I have a few psychic reviewers, read one review that asked me to do something for the children and it turned out that's exactly what I'd already done. Must be the obvious choice.**

 **So, Alicia becomes Headmaster of Hogwarts after Minerva McGonagall, as it turns out I couldn't find and specifics on McGonagall's successor so that works well. She was Head of the Auror office for a while. Dunno if she was an actual teacher but if she was, it would have been Transfiguration, as McGonagall couldn't teach it while being Headmaster.**

 **Her twin boys, two years older than James and therefore four years older than Albus. Blake the daughter, the same age as James. If it wasn't clear.**


	59. Author's Note

**And that concludes the Unbreakable Bond Series.**

 **Thanks for all of those who stuck by it and gave me reviews, I do love them.**

 **I can't believe I finished this honestly, I never really have, especially with series. Suck at finish originals that's for sure.**

 **Doubtful I'll so little snippets of during the nineteen years bit, but you never know, might be in the mood one day.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did, of course I hardly remember what happened in the first it was so long ago, but it's now there forever to be read and enjoyed.**

 **I'll give you a little bit of information of the new one I'm writing:**

It's about Skylar, a pureblood witch who has two brothers. Her parents are Aurors and were friends with Lily and James during school. The first 13 chapters are completely original except for things like descriptions, for example of Diagon Alley and Gringotts.

 **Completely different scale to an orphan who grew up knowing nothing and turns out to be a famous twin.**

 **We'll see how it goes, hopefully it's a lot more creative than The Unbreakable Bond series (Especially during the Goblet of Fire) and has more originality in it. Don't really have a title for it but it's currently called Glowing Sapphires.**

 **Thanks again to all my Readers. I'll hear from all who knows when.**


	60. Author's Note 2

**Hey Guys!**

 **Just wanted to let those of you know who are following this story, in case you're not following me personally, that I have posted the first story for my second Harry Potter Series. _The Rosenwald Family._**

 **I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.**

 **Don't ask me when the next one will be up, because I haven't even started it as of today (15/4/18). Things are busy with Uni so I make no promises of when I'll start ot even finish it to post it.**

 **But for now, enjoy this one!**


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